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That's a fine idea, Squack, and depending on the story itself, having an ally turn villain can be heart-wrenching. In this case, however, I wanted the players to have someone they could just hate, hate, hate.
My rules for evoking emotion are pretty direct.
1. If you want emotional response, you have to be emotional. Give your NPCs some additional kick. Don't be afraid to bang your fist on the table and if the NPC is enraged, or wail and bemoan if he's been harmed or slighted.
2. The more human the situation and the characters in it, the better. Emotional reaction comes from relatability. The same applies for writing characters in novels. If the character is inhuman, without motivation other than to 'be evil', or paper thin, they're harder to love or hate.
3. If you want them to respond to a villain, its a good idea to make sure he's villainous. Not just on a grand scale, but in a personal, direct way. Maybe he's a warlord that has butchered a settlement nearby without cause, but what has he done to the PCs specifically? Give them plenty of cause to detest you villain (but be careful that you don't overdo it; no player likes abuse).
4. If you want them to love an NPC, again - give them cause. Let them come across the NPC frequently. Spend more time on interactions with the NPC. Routine and familiarity are quick building blocks to establish an emotional connection.
5. These are all useless of course if you haven't fleshed out your NPC. Every NPC I've ever made I've had a motivation made for them. Sometimes its as simple as a single sentence: 'this man is a merchant seeking profit'. But I always keep it in the back of my mind. For major NPCs, I'll often draft up multiple pages about who they are and what they want. This'll give me the ability to answer unusual questions on the fly. But be sure you keep your motivations flexible. They can change at the drop of hat for some people. The merchant above suddenly goes out of business because the local economic balance is tipped when the PCs spend all their massive amounts of wealth at another shop. New motivation: revenge?
6. Story, story, story, story, story. Make sure the players understand your story and give them the freedom and ability to affect its outcome. The more you show them that your grand tale is - in part - the sum of their own actions and that their deeds can have affect on the world around them, the more engrossed and invested they'll be. Never stifle player creativity, especially when it can advance the story in a way that can give them that boost of tabletop pride. The more invested they are, the more easily you can evoke emotion.
7. Pull the rug out from under them from time to time. Nothing is black and white. Real feelings stem from conflict. If the PCs truly like an NPC, stir it up from time to time with minor disagreements that become a little heated. A perfect, always agreeable NPC runs the risk of being paper-thin. Just make sure you make wounds you can soothe over if you intend on continuing the NPC as the party's friend. Likewise, for villains, its not a bad idea to temper their actions once in a great while by letting them display some manner of kindness to the party. Nothing puts a party on edge more than a smiling villain. It becomes a matter of paranoia as they all wonder 'okay, what the hell is this bad guy planning now? He's never been nice to us'.
8. Feedback. After each session I run, I have a 'pros and cons' breakdown with my players. Here I look for the stuff they really enjoyed and the stuff that they hated and I try to make sure my game can, as much as is reasonable, alter to better suit their individual tastes. If you run a 'pros and cons' you need to be ready to accept criticism. If you run it for self-adulation, your players will know and you'll come off as a jerk. Give them the chance to 'pros' one another as well. A good solid team mentality can help players get emotionally invested in one-another's characters.
These rules aren't universal and are simply tools to help me draw my players in. When in doubt, look to your favorite novels, television shows, movies, etc, etc. The Walking Dead is a good example. If you followed season 2 from the first episode of the season to episode 7, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The build up and the ultimate reveal at the end was emotionally jarring.
Anyhow, I'll stop now because I could continue - at length - and no one wants that. :P