Farinto Has Not Defected to APC, Loyalists Insist …Say Sanusi’s Visit to Olive Chambers Was a Courtesy Call, Not Defection

Loyalists of renowned legal practitioner and politician, Asiwaju John Adeniyi Farinto, have dismissed reports suggesting that their leader has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that he remains committed to Governor Seyi Makinde.

The clarification follows a video involving an Ibadan-based chief, Engr. Dotun Sanusi, in which he reportedly suggested that Olive Chambers was now aligned with the APC candidate, Sarafadeen Alli.

However, Farinto’s loyalists described the claim as misleading, maintaining that Sanusi’s visit to their leader’s law office was merely a courtesy call and should not be misconstrued as a political defection.

They stressed that Farinto, a respected lawyer and politician who has served as a local government chairman and member of the Oyo State House of Assembly, possesses a political pedigree and stature that should not be reduced to what they described as a social media spectacle.

In a statement, the loyalists said their attention had been drawn to a video in which Sanusi purportedly claimed that their leader, Barr. John Adeniyi Farinto, the Asiwaju of Ijioland, had joined the APC.

“The claim is a lie and a joke taken too far. What simply took place was a friendly visit by Chief Dotun Sanusi, who paid a courtesy call on our leader at his Olive Chambers Office,” the statement read.

They explained that Farinto regularly hosts friends, associates and loyalists at his law office, adding that such visits should not be interpreted as evidence of a political realignment.

According to them, Farinto understands the distinction between his legal practice and political engagements, insisting that the courtesy visit was wrongly portrayed as a defection.

The statement further noted that Farinto did not make any comment during the proceedings that could be interpreted as an announcement of his departure from his political platform.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Asiwaju Farinto, as the leader of our great party in Oke Ogun and Iwajowa Local Government, saw to the defection of hundreds of residents from APC, Accord and other parties to the APM on Thursday, October 8, 2026,” the statement added.

The loyalists disclosed that an APC House of Assembly aspirant, Wasiu Shittu Olorunsetemi, was among those who led defectors into the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), adding that the development occurred with Farinto’s knowledge.

They questioned the rationale behind claims that Farinto had joined the APC when, according to them, he had recently participated in receiving members who left the party for the APM.

“So, how would anyone claim that the leader, who welcomed defectors with all his political children in attendance, has gone to APC, where he harvested hundreds of people from?” the statement queried.

Reaffirming their position, the loyalists maintained that Farinto had not defected to the APC and urged APM members, supporters and admirers of their leader to disregard the reports.

They also appealed to party members to avoid unnecessary arguments and confrontations over the issue, urging them to remain focused rather than allow what they described as a misrepresentation of events to create division within the party.

The statement was signed by Asiwaju John Adeniyi Farinto’s Loyalists.