Following his resignation from the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Hakeem Oladimeji Lawal has officially joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The move was formalized earlier today Thursday, January 29, 2026, when Lawal visited the Kwara State APC Chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, before proceeding to his ancestral home in the Ilorin Emirate to complete his electronic membership registration.
Accompanied by a heavyweight delegation of political associates, Lawal met with the state party leadership to signal the formal entry of his entire political family into the Progressive fold.
Prince Sunday Fagbemi, receiving the former gubernatorial candidate, described the move as a significant boost for the party under the leadership of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. He noted that Lawal’s return to the APC, a party his father’s political legacy helped build was a natural reunion.
9japarrot reports that notable Figures in the delegation includes; Alh. AbdulAzeez Afolabi: Erstwhile State Chairman of the SDP, Prince Sulyman Sai Kayi, Special Adviser (Political) to the Kwara State Governor, Hon. Habib Lawal,APC Chairman, Ilorin East, Ward Executives from Magaji Aare Ward I, among others.
Immediately after the meeting with the State Chairman, Hakeem Lawal moved to Magaji Aare Ward I to participate in the ongoing APC e-registration exercise.
The event took on a traditional and spiritual significance as Lawal was warmly received by the ward’s highest traditional authorities, the Magaji Aare of Ilorin, the Baba Isale of Ilorin.
The royal fathers offered special prayers for Lawal, wishing him success as he embarks on this new political journey within the ruling party.
In a statement released shortly after his registration and obtained by 9japarrot media, Lawal, who doubles as the Chairman of the Awliya Foundation, emphasized that his decision was driven by a desire to align with the developmental strides of the current administration.
“I formally informed the APC Chairman of the decision of my political family and I to join the progressive family in Kwara State. This is more than a change of party; it is a commitment to the collective progress of our people.” He said.
The defection of Hakeem Lawal, alongside the former SDP State Chairman, effectively dismantled the “Third Force” that challenged the APC in 2023. By re-joining the APC, Lawal consolidates the “Lawal-Otoge” political machinery, potentially making the ruling party a formidable monolith ahead of the 2027 local and state elections.