The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Abayomi Tella, has stated that party members who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) are now largely sidelined within the ruling party.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Tella said the defectors have become mere onlookers in the APC because they were not part of the party’s foundational structure or its struggle for power.

Recall that the immediate past PDP chairman in Ogun, Sikirulai Ogundele, along with others, defected to the APC in July 2025.

“It is no longer enviable for a politician to cross from PDP to APC because most of our members who went there have become onlookers. They were not part of their system from day one,” Tella said. “When the party members were working for victory, the defectors were not there, so they are still treated as outsiders.”

Tella, however, emphasized that the PDP remains open to welcoming back key political figures, including Governor Dapo Abiodun and Senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel. He noted that the party could benefit politically from any rift between the two within the APC.

“Part of politics is rift, and PDP gaining from it is also part of politics. We will look at areas where PDP can benefit from the ongoing tension between Abiodun and OGD. If Dapo Abiodun fails to secure his senatorial ticket in the APC, this could be an opportunity to bring him back into the PDP and rehabilitate him within our ideological framework,” Tella said.

He added that Gbenga Daniel and former Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who also have roots in PDP, would be welcomed back anytime.

“It will be a strategic gain for PDP to bring back OGD, Abiodun, or Amosun. All three are from this party; ambition may have driven them away, but they remain a valuable political asset. We will work on the rift between Abiodun and OGD to ensure PDP benefits from it. There is no reason for them to fight in APC when they can return to the party they originally belonged to,” Tella concluded.