Governor of Oyo State, ‘Seyi Makinde, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will be a virile, united platform that Nigerians will be proud of and support ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The governor said this in Lagos, during a PDP Southern Consultative Summit held in Lagos, ahead of the party’s National Executive Committee meeting scheduled to be held on Monday, 25th August, 2025, stating that the leadership of the party remained committed to giving a credible alternative to Nigerians in the coming general elections.
The meeting had in attendance national leaders of the PDP from Southern Nigeria, including the party’s Board of Trustees chairman, governors, serving and former National Assembly members, and former governors.
Governor Makinde said that the PDP is not dead and that if it puts in the hard work, Nigerians would not only listen to the PDP, but they would support the party to bring about a better Nigeria.
He noted that the summit discussed the issues of zoning, micro-zoning of party positions, among others, and that some of the discussions will unfold in the coming days. However, he stated that the focus at the moment is to rebuild the PDP, rather than focusing on presidential candidates and so on.
According to Governor Makinde, the outcome of last Saturday’s by-elections held across the country, in which the PDP either won or came second, was an indication that despite the challenges it is facing, the PDP can bounce back and reclaim its place as the ruling party in the country. The leaders were ready and willing to put in the hard work.
The Governor maintained that the consultative summit was held to foster inclusiveness, which, according to him, is the beauty of democracy, and to make some decisions, noting that the calibre of people in attendance meant that they are committed to rebuilding the party and ensuring that it takes its rightful place.
Makinde said, “Democracy is about the minority having its say and the majority having its way. That is democracy. So, we are Democrats. The South has taken far-reaching decisions, and in the days ahead, leading to our NEC, wider consultations will also take place, and we are sure that those that have been saying that PDP is dead and now a carcass will know that, at least with the calibre of people that you have seen here – sitting governors, former governors, leaders and elders, a former senate president, Chairman of BOT – we are all here and committed to PDP taking back its rightful position in Nigeria.
“So, in the days ahead, some of the things discussed here, you will see them unfold.
“Governor Ademola Adeleke is here. He came back into this country this morning, and then he went straight to Osogbo to address some governance issues. But he said, Look, whatever we decide here, he is with us.
“Governor Duoye Diri is here. Governor Peter Mba, who couldn’t make it here physically, sent the deputy governor here. You have the Chairman of our Board of Trustees here. You also have at least 12 of the 17 members of the Zoning Committee from the South. It is one per state. So, you have 12 states here. We also have National Assembly members and PDP BoT members from the three zones in the South here.
“We are here for consultation, and consultation means you keep reaching out, you keep engaging. So, from this meeting, we will also reach out and engage and even do more. What exactly are we trying to do? We are trying to get all stakeholders, all tendencies in the PDP together so that we can give a credible alternative to Nigerians in the years ahead.
“Yes, we discussed zoning and micro-zoning, and a decision is coming. It is an NEC decision. This consultative meeting is not statutory in the constitution of PDP. Still, democracy is inclusivity, reaching out, and ensuring that all stakeholders are carried along, which is what we’ve done today.
“NEC is on Monday; today is Thursday. We will definitely have a decision. We have not even got there. We need to have a party first before we discuss presidential candidates and presidencies. If we don’t have a party, anything you try to do will fall flat. So, our effort right now is directed towards having a virile and united PDP that Nigerians will be proud of and believe in.”
The governor equally declared that he would not join issues with anyone in the party, but continue to reach out to all tendencies and interests with a view to making the PDP a beautiful bride for Nigerians.
He said, “Personally, when people go low or they go into the gutters, I don’t go with them. We will reach out to them. That is democracy. We will reach out to them. I can disagree with people, but there shouldn’t be anything personal here.
“It should be about what we are giving to Nigerians because they are watching. We want to give a virile PDP. In Oyo State, Nigerians showed last Saturday that PDP is not dead, and in most other places of the 12 states where by-elections took place, PDP came second. It is an indication to us that if we continue to work hard, if we continue to strive hard, if we continue to bring our people together, we will get to a point where Nigerians will really start listening to us.”
