The political camp of former lawmaker, Rt. Hon. Dr Saubana Ajibola Muraina, has dismissed his purported expulsion from the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the action came after he had already left the party and joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Muraina’s Press Secretary, Engr. Laolu Adeyemo, stated this in a statement on Wednesday, reacting to a report that the APC Ward 09, Oke-Iserin, Igboora, had expelled the former lawmaker over alleged defection and anti-party activities.
Adeyemo said Muraina had already defected to the PDP and emerged as the party’s candidate for the Ibarapa Central/Ibarapa North Federal Constituency in the 2027 House of Representatives election before the reported expulsion.
‘For the avoidance of doubt, Rt. Hon. Muraina is no longer a member of the APC. He left the APC, joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and has since emerged as the PDP Candidate for the Ibarapa Central/Ibarapa North Federal Constituency in the 2027 House of Representatives election,’ he said.
According to him, Muraina’s defection and emergence as the PDP candidate had been publicly reported for months, before the APC’s reported expulsion announcement of September 29, 2026.
Adeyemo said the APC’s own statement on the matter acknowledged that Muraina had already defected to the PDP and secured the party’s ticket.
He questioned the reason for expelling someone who was no longer a member of the party.
‘An expulsion is ordinarily a disciplinary action against a member of an organisation. In this case, however, the chronology is important. Rt. Hon. Muraina had already made his political choice, joined the PDP and secured the PDP ticket before the APC Ward announced its purported expulsion,’ he said.
The aide also rejected any suggestion that Muraina was still presenting himself as an APC member, insisting that his current political affiliation and candidature were publicly known.
‘He is a PDP member and the PDP candidate for Ibarapa Central/Ibarapa North Federal Constituency for the 2027 election,’ Adeyemo said.
He urged the public, political stakeholders and the media to consider the reported expulsion in the context of the chronology of Muraina’s defection and not allow it to create confusion over his current party affiliation.
‘Rt. Hon. Muraina has moved on. He is in the PDP, he is the PDP flag bearer for Ibarapa Central/Ibarapa North Federal Constituency, and his focus is now firmly on the 2027 election and the people of the constituency,’ he concluded.