Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Thursday appeared to take a swipe at the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, declaring that he would never “go low with anyone who decides to go into the gutters.”
Makinde made the remark while speaking with journalists after the South-West Zoning Consultative Summit of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in Lagos.
The high-level meeting brought together prominent figures, including the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara; Chairman of the National Zoning Committee and Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri; Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke; Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah (represented by his deputy, Ifeanyi Ossai); former governors Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Udom Emmanuel; Chief Bode George; Senator Monsurat Sunmonu; as well as 12 out of the 17 PDP National Assembly members from the South.
The summit focused on fostering unity, addressing internal grievances, and preparing the party for its forthcoming national congress.
Speaking on concerns about factional meetings by aggrieved members, Makinde said:
“Personally, when people go low or go into the gutters, I don’t go with them. Some people are not going into the gutters, and we will reach out to them. That is democracy.
I can disagree with people, but it shouldn’t be personal. It should be about what we are offering Nigerians, because they are watching.”
Makinde noted that despite challenges, the PDP’s performance in recent elections had shown it remained a strong force.
“In all our states, they showed last Saturday that PDP is not dead. In most of the 12 states, PDP came second. That’s an indication that if we work hard, we can regain the confidence of Nigerians,” he said.
The governor also emphasized that the Lagos summit reflected the seriousness of the party’s leadership to reposition the PDP as a credible opposition ahead of the next general election.
Addressing reports of parallel meetings, he explained that the gathering had broad representation.
“Governor Ademola Adeleke is here. He returned to the country this morning, handled state matters, and still joined us. Governor Douye Diri is here. Governor Peter Mbah, though absent physically, sent his deputy.
The chairman of the Board of Trustees is also here, along with at least 12 of the 17 members of the zoning committee from the South. That shows wide representation,” Makinde said.
He admitted that it was impossible to achieve full attendance at political meetings but stressed that consultation would continue with those absent.
On the sensitive issue of zoning the party’s presidential ticket to the South, Makinde said discussions were premature.
“We haven’t gotten to that stage. We need to have a united party first before talking about presidential candidates. If there’s no party, anything else will collapse.
Our focus now is on building a vibrant and united PDP that Nigerians can trust again.”
The consultative summit comes just days before the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the PDP scheduled for Monday, where crucial decisions about the party’s direction are expected to be made.
