Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has declared that individuals he described as “vagabonds” no longer control the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in what was widely seen as a veiled response to recent attacks by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. Makinde spoke on Tuesday at the commissioning of the Oyo PDP Secretariat in Ibadan, insisting that the expelled elements lost influence in the party following their removal in November 2025.
Makinde, who was formerly aligned with Wike as part of the G5 governors ahead of the 2023 general elections, said the PDP’s internal crisis stemmed from a leadership vacuum after the party lost federal power in 2015. He admitted past association with the group but said he had since distanced himself, describing his breakaway as a form of “political repentance.”
The governor warned that allowing the group to weaken the PDP ahead of future elections would be unacceptable, accusing unnamed actors of spreading falsehoods against the party. He expressed confidence that ongoing legal disputes involving the PDP would be resolved by the judiciary, which he described as the last hope of the common man.
Makinde also announced that the newly commissioned Oyo PDP Secretariat would be named Mustapha House, in honour of former state chairman Alhaji Omokunmi Mustapha, under whose leadership the party returned to power in the state in 2019. He said the title deeds of the property would be handed over to the PDP National Chairman and transferred to the party’s Board of Trustees.
In a swift reaction, Wike’s camp lashed out at Makinde, with the FCT Minister’s aide, Lere Olayinka, describing the governor as a “repentant vagabond” whose loyalty to the PDP was questionable. Olayinka dismissed Makinde’s remarks as politically motivated, warning that his claimed repentance might be temporary, while Wike reiterated his intention to remain actively involved in PDP affairs in Oyo State.
