A cleric identified as Pastor Aimola John slumped and died shortly after joining Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC in Beni.
Aimola was rushed to a hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Confirming his death, a former secretary of Owan LGA, Godwin Imoudu, said the late Aimola was in Benin to defect to the APC when the incident happened.
He was said to have been a former chairmanship candidate for Owan East Local Government Area.
Ize-Iyamu , the PDP guber candidate in the last election, was expelled from his party recently after the party found out his lan to join the ruling APC.