Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not reduce itself to what he described as the “gutter level” of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, stressing that the party is focused on unity and survival ahead of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting scheduled for Monday.
Makinde made the remarks in Lagos on Thursday during a stakeholders’ consultative meeting of the PDP zoning committee for the South. He disclosed that while micro-zoning was not formally on the agenda, NEC will take a firm stand on zoning and other critical issues next week.
“A decision is coming, and it is an NEC decision… Democracy is inclusivity, reaching out, and ensuring all stakeholders are carried along,” Makinde said.
On the issue of producing a presidential candidate from the South, the governor emphasized that the party must first consolidate its internal structures.
“We need to have a party first before you start talking about presidential candidates. If we don’t have a party, anything you’re trying to do will fall flat,” he added.
Makinde insisted the party’s immediate priority is reconciliation and unity, countering claims that the PDP is “dead.” He highlighted the presence of sitting governors, former governors, senators, members of the House of Representatives, and the Board of Trustees (BoT) leadership at the Lagos meeting as proof of the party’s resilience.
Reacting to Wike’s criticism over the possible removal of South-South Zonal Chairman, Dan Orbih, Makinde said:
“Personally, when people go low, or they go into the gutters, I don’t go with them.”
He pledged that the PDP will continue reaching out to aggrieved members, stressing that disagreements should not be personal but centered on offering Nigerians a credible alternative.
Notable PDP figures at the meeting included Governor Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Governor Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Deputy Governor of Enugu (representing Peter Mbah), former Akwa Ibom Governor Udom Emmanuel, BoT Chairman Adolphus Wabara, former PDP Deputy National Chairman Bode George, and Senator Ben Obi.
Makinde concluded that if the party sustains its efforts at unity and reconciliation, Nigerians will begin to take the PDP seriously again as a credible opposition force.
God will help us oo amen