Governor of Oyo State, ‘Seyi Makinde, has called on members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to work together and unite their bases, saying the 2027 general election would be APC versus Nigerians.
The governor who made this remark noted that with a united PDP, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would have an uphill task in the election, especially going by the harsh economic situation Nigerians are facing.
The governor added that the people of Nigeria would speak against the ruling party in 2027 as they did in Oyo and Osun States, noting, however, that PDP members must come together and work in unison ahead of that time.
Makinde spoke in Ibadan, on Saturday, during the commissioning of the South-West PDP Zonal Office, which he personally built in honour of the late former PDP National Vice Chairman (South-West), Hon. Olasoji Adagunodo-Oluwatukesi, and donated to the party.
Governor Makinde also reiterated his position on the 2027 presidential election, saying that despite the clamour for him to join the race, he had not assigned anyone to campaign for him.
He said, “People have been campaigning and doing a lot of permutations; but let me say this again: If I want to contest for any position, I will say it myself. Nobody would set an agenda for me apart from myself.
“They have also been talking that the ruling party, APC, is scheming and infiltrating all the parties to make sure there is division and crisis in those parties.
“If you are accusing the ruling party of not allowing other parties to get their acts together so that there won’t be opposition in 2027, my position is that there are certain things you have under your control.
“If Governor Adeleke and I would cooperate for the growth and benefit of our party in the South-West, it is beyond the ruling party to destabilize our party.”
He added: “Please, let us all work together and unite our bases. That is all we need. The next general election would be APC versus Nigerians, not even APC versus PDP.
But, let us just do our own bit to unite our party and bases and then allow the people of Nigeria to speak when the time comes.
“The people spoke in Oyo and Osun states. They will do it in Nigeria. So, don’t fret. Don’t think external people have control over what will happen in our party. Yes, they may try; they can only succeed when we allow it.
“I want to admonish PDP members all over the country, let us unite and the way to demonstrate it is if you know one or two people in Ondo State, call them and tell them that the PDP is united.
“Tell them that the Ondo election coming up in two weeks from now would be an indication of where Nigeria would be in 2027.
“I am glad we are opening this House. It is a demonstration of our unity. I am also glad that our Acting National Chairman is here. The kind of story they would have loved to hear is that the suspension and counter-suspension saga is still on, but that is behind us. We are even more united to move forward. So, I thank you all for being here”, Makinde said.
