Sources familiar with the development said Arapaja recently met with President Bola Tinubu as consultations over his proposed defection gathered momentum.
According to the sources, the PDP chieftain is expected to resign next week from his position as the party’s National Deputy Chairman (South) before formally announcing his next political move.
The sources attributed Arapaja’s decision to his dissatisfaction with Governor Makinde’s handling of the PDP governorship primary that produced Abimbola Adekanmbi as the party’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election in Oyo State.
A source alleged that Arapaja was denied a level playing field during the primary election and became increasingly sidelined after the emergence of the party’s governorship candidate.
“After the primary, he was treated with disdain and disrespect. That was when he realised he was no longer relevant in the political structure,” the source claimed.
Another source, described as a chieftain of the PDP/APM alliance in Ibadan, alleged that Arapaja had been politically marginalised within Governor Makinde’s camp.
The source further claimed that the withdrawal of Arapaja’s security personnel by the state government heightened concerns about his personal safety and became the immediate trigger for his decision to seek a new political platform.
“He believes he needs to move to where his security and political future can be guaranteed,” the source alleged.
The source also claimed that appointments and political positions previously allocated to Arapaja’s loyalists during Governor Makinde’s first term were withdrawn in the administration’s second term.
According to the source, while Bisi Olopoeyan and Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) allegedly secured 32 and 22 supervisory councillor positions, respectively, across the state’s 33 local government areas, Arapaja’s political camp was left without any such appointments.
Neither Arapaja nor Governor Makinde had publicly commented on the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
