By: Lauretta Fagbohun, Abeokuta.
A member representing Ijebu North State Constituency and former Minority Whip of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Rasheed Kashamu, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), citing irreconcilable differences and deep divisions within the opposition party at both state and national levels.
The defection was formally announced on the floor of the House during plenary on Monday, following the reading of Hon. Kashamu’s resignation letter by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Oludaisi Elemide. According to the Speaker, the lawmaker attributed his decision to persistent factional disputes at the national level and leadership tussles within the PDP in Ogun State.
Hon. Kashamu, now a member of the APC, said his decision was guided by the need to align with progressive forces in the state in order to support the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun, particularly the ISEYA Agenda, as well as the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Explaining his defection, Kashamu said the unresolved leadership crises and factionalisation within the PDP had weakened the party’s cohesion and effectiveness. He noted that, after wide consultations with his political leaders and supporters in Ijebu North I State Constituency, they collectively resolved to move en masse to the APC.
According to him, the move would enable him to transfer what he described as his “winning political formula” in Ijebu North I to the APC, while continuing to deliver people-oriented representation to his constituents. He stressed that the decision was in the best interest of his supporters and the development of the constituency.
The lawmaker informed the House that he had officially joined the APC at his Oke-Sopen Ward in Ijebu-Igbo, Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State, alongside his teeming supporters from across the constituency.
Hon. Kashamu’s defection was witnessed by his wife, uncle and other well-wishers, as his co-lawmakers, led by the Speaker, formally welcomed him into the APC fold at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Meanwhile, in another development, the Ogun State House of Assembly has acknowledged a letter from Governor Dapo Abiodun seeking the confirmation of Mr. Abdul Najeem Olayinka as the new Auditor-General for Local Governments, following the retirement of the former Auditor-General, Mr. Lamidi Mulero.
The Speaker directed the nominee to appear before the House on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, by 12 noon, and to submit 30 copies each of his curriculum vitae and other relevant credentials to the Assembly by Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at 10 a.m.
