Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has declared that no individual or group will be allowed to undermine the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in order to hand over power to another political party.
The governor made the declaration on Wednesday during the commissioning and official handover of a newly constructed Oyo State PDP Secretariat in Ibadan, which he donated to the party’s national leadership. The edifice was named after a former Oyo State PDP Chairman, Chief Omokunmi Mustapha, in recognition of his contributions to the party.
The ceremony was attended by members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP, led by the National Chairman, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, members of the Board of Trustees, and party leaders from across the country.
Makinde recalled that he had earlier donated a secretariat to the South-West PDP in 2024, which was named after the former National Vice Chairman (South-West), the late Hon. Soji Adagunodo.
Speaking at the event, the governor said those who exploited the PDP’s loss of power at the federal level in 2015 to hijack the party would no longer be tolerated. He described them as “illegitimate children” who had grown wings and were determined to destroy the party, noting that their expulsion at the party’s November 2025 convention in Ibadan marked the end of their influence.
He also expressed confidence that the ongoing legal battles facing the party would be resolved in PDP’s favour, insisting that truth would ultimately prevail.
Taking a swipe at the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, Makinde said the minister lacked the moral authority to comment on the affairs of the PDP in Oyo State or at the national level, having failed to make a meaningful impact on the Rivers State PDP.
In his words:
“I know that a lot of you are concerned about the PDP, asking what is happening in the party. Well, we are all in Ibadan, which is the political, administrative, and cultural capital of the Yoruba race.
“The first thing I want to say is that, in Yorubaland, we always say that if you see a house or a compound that is peaceful, it is because the illegitimate children in that house have not come of age. The illegitimate children in PDP grew up in 2015, had their time, and for 10 years, a decade, they practised their illegitimacy in the PDP. But they were expelled in November 2025. So, no more vagabonds in the PDP.
“Whatever it is that they are doing, you should be able to trace it back to their origin. In 2015, PDP lost power at the federal level. There was a gap in the leadership. Otherwise, those vagabonds would never have been able to take hold of the PDP.
“Let me confess, I came into government in 2019 and towards 2023, I was yoked with them. But now, I have repented; I am no longer with them. But for them to hold PDP for another party to be in power, it is no, no, no.
“If a lie endures for 20 years, truth will overtake it in one day. Liars can continue to peddle their lies, but I have absolute trust in Nigeria’s judiciary. I know they will do the needful. So, all these court cases will come together at some point, and the judiciary, being the last hope of the common man, will give justice to the PDP.”
Makinde explained that the secretariat was named after Chief Omokunmi Mustapha because of his instrumental role in the PDP’s return to power in Oyo State in 2019.
In separate goodwill messages, Chief (Mrs) Mutiat Ladoja, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, Alhaji Kamorudeen Ajisafe, and Dr Saka Balogun commended the governor for donating the facility and for keeping the party united despite internal challenges. They assured party members of the PDP’s readiness to contest and win the 2027 general elections at both state and national levels.
The Chairman of the Oyo State PDP, Hon. Dayo Ogungbenro, described the new secretariat as another testament to Governor Makinde’s leadership, noting that his administration has delivered people-oriented projects and good governance. He urged residents to reciprocate by voting for the PDP in 2027.
Dignitaries at the event included Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, Barr. Abdul-Raheem Bayo Lawal, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, Engr. Hamid Gbadamosi, Hon. Alli Odefa, Chief Emma Ogidi, several federal lawmakers, South-West PDP executives, and other party stakeholders.
