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The South West chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has told the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, to ensure that all his children come back to Nigeria, from where they are schooling abroad to be part of the “operation wetie” (Political Violence) that he preached in Ibadan today.

Makinde had invoked the violent political history of “Operation Wetie”, a campaign of deadly political violence that rocked the Western Region of Nigeria in the mid-1960s.
It was adapted from the Yoruba phrase meaning “wet or soak” homes and vehicles of perceived political opponents with petrol before setting them ablaze.

Makinde made this inciting comment at the National Summit of All Opposition Political Party Leaders in Ibadan, Oyo State today.

Reacting through its Publicity Secretary, Hon. Akinloye Oyeniyi, the PDP in the Southwest Zone disowned the summit saying; “the meeting was a jamboree staged to revive Governor Seyi Makinde’s dwindling political fortune and hand him the vice presidential candidate’s ticket of the David Mark-led ADC.”

The party, which also described Makinde’s comment as reckless, and unbecoming of a sitting governor, added that the Southwest will not be available to be used as a political war-zone by any disgruntled and selfish politician.

Clarifying the status of the meeting, Oyeniyi said; “The event was a meeting of a coalition masquerading as an all-opposition-parties summit. It did not represent the PDP or the broader opposition in Nigeria. Rather, it’s to serve the interest of the person whose scheming is to get the vice presidential ticket of the coalition through the back door.”

The party commended former President Olusegun Obasanjo for staying away from the meeting, saying his absence made it clear to the world that he is not part of that group.

Oyeniyi further alleged that the summit was convened by Governor Makinde as a face-saving move.

“The governor has swallowed embers that are now burning his chest, reason he assembled those whose records do not reflect seriousness, in Ibadan, to chart a fresh course into further chaos in their coalition,” he said.

The statement addressed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and few others, reported to have attended the summit, urging them to emulate the statesmanship displayed by former President Obasanjo and ensure their names are not associated with endless controversy.

“The chairman of that already failed and defeatist occasion did not show up. It is not an event to be graced by any reasonable and reputable person,” the statement added.

Addressing the Oyo State governor directly, the party said: “There is a difference between influence and illusion. This latest political fakery has again confirmed your self-inflicted free fall from grace; and the people of Oyo State shall speak clearly against all these relentless chaoses in 2027.”

The party thanked its members in the zone and maintained that it remains committed to providing credible opposition and a viable alternative for Nigerians, but would not be part of gatherings designed to deceive the public.

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The decision, dubbed the ‘Ibadan Declaration’, was the central focus of a high-stakes national summit of opposition political parties held on Saturday, 25 April 2026, in the Oyo State capital.

Fourteen opposition parties have collectively agreed to field one presidential candidate against President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

The opposition political parties which participated in the summit included the PDP, ADC, PRP, NNPP, NDC, LP, APP, Accord, APM, AA, DLA, YP, ADP, and ZLP.

Reading the communiqué on behalf of the participating chairmen, the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Taminu Turaki (SAN), declared that the move was an existential necessity to rescue Nigeria from the stranglehold of the APC.

The opposition bloc made it clear that its primary objective is to prevent the emergence of a one-party state. Despite what they described as the APC’s manoeuvres to position President Bola Tinubu as a sole presidential candidate for 2027, the coalition vowed to fight back through a unified ticket.

“We shall work towards fielding one presidential candidate for the 2027 elections, which shall be agreed and supported by all participating opposition parties to rescue our nation and her long-suffering masses,” the communiqué stated.

The summit also launched a scathing attack on the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It passed a vote of no confidence in the INEC chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, accusing him of blatant partisanship toward the ruling party.

The declaration warned that Amupitan’s continued stay in office is vexatious and could trigger a national crisis. The summit demanded that Amupitan be replaced by a neutral figure to guarantee a credible process.

The Ibadan Declaration outlined several critical demands aimed at levelling the playing field. The National Assembly was urged to immediately strip the Electoral Act 2026 of clauses that allegedly threatened the sanctity of elections.

The parties slammed recent INEC guidelines as engineered obstacles and demanded that the deadline for party primaries be extended to the end of July 2026.

The communiqué called for the immediate release of leading politicians currently being allegedly harassed or detained on bailable offences, framing their detention as a violation of fundamental rights.

The opposition leaders commended the resilience of Nigerians in the face of what they termed state capture. They expressed a renewed commitment to multiparty democracy and swore to resist any machinations intended to stifle political competition.

The summit also appreciated the host, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, whose state served as the backdrop for what many delegates described as an epochal event in the journey toward the 2027 polls.

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Fire has razed a police station and three residential buildings in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The police station, according to sources, is located at Kara in Akinyele local government area of the state.

An eye-witness account says that a patrol van, motorcycles and other items were affected.

Meanwhile, three residential buildings located in three different areas within Ibadan were also razed, on Friday.

The ground floor of one of the buildings located at No.19, Omigade street, Robert junction, Ososami in Ibadan.

A residential building in the Moniya area and another at the Alakia area were also affected by the fire.

Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande confirmed the incidents.

On the police station, Akinwande said, “On getting to the scene, it was a patrol van and seven motorcycles that were engulfed by fire. Our officers quickly launched a coordinated attack, restricted the fire from spreading to the police station’s building and other properties”.