ONDO STATE — Reports have emerged that prominent business mogul and politician, Hon. Mathew Oyerinmade, widely known as ‘MATO’, has finalised arrangements to defect from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Starnews NG gathered on Thursday that the move is intended to facilitate his candidacy for the Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo/Odigbo Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives. This significant political realignment follows a high-profile dispute between Mr Oyerinmade and the APC National Working Committee (NWC) regarding the party’s primary nomination process.
The controversy originated after Mr Oyerinmade allegedly secured a landslide victory in the APC primary, polling 12,744 votes against the incumbent lawmaker, Hon. Festus Adefiranye, who allegedly received 1,944 votes. Despite this result, it is alleged that the APC NWC disregarded the outcome and substituted Mr Oyerinmade’s name with that of Mr Adefiranye. The decision prompted widespread protests within the constituency, leading Mr Oyerinmade to challenge the matter at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In a development that has surprised political observers, Mr Oyerinmade’s legal team, led by Dr Remi Olatubora (SAN), voluntarily withdrew the lawsuit on August 12, 2026. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik subsequently dismissed the case. It is understood that this withdrawal was a strategic measure to resolve the legal proceedings, thereby clearing the path for his defection to the PDP.
News of the intended move has dominated local political discourse on social media platforms, including X and Facebook. Supporters have widely characterised the NWC’s substitution of the candidate as unjust, and abuse of power, arguing that Mr Oyerinmade is justified in seeking an alternative platform. Conversely, political analysts have expressed concerns that the defection could trigger internal friction within the Ondo APC, potentially destabilising the party’s base in Ondo South ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speculation is also mounting that Mr Oyerinmade may have already secured a placeholder candidate within the PDP structure, who is expected to stand down once his defection is formally ratified.
While the PDP appears keen to capitalise on the internal divisions within the APC, neither the state leadership of the APC nor Mr Oyerinmade’s campaign team has issued an official statement. However, sources close to the situation confirm that a formal declaration of his entry into the PDP is imminent, Starnews NG reports
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