The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has said that the 2027 general election will be between the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Nigerian people.
He stated this on Saturday during the commissioning of the Late Olusoji Adagunodo zonal secretariat of the party in Ibadan, the state capital, adding that his next political agenda would be determined solely by himself.
In attendance at the event were the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum; Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State; former Governors Samuel Ortom of Benue State and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State; members of the National Working Committee of the party; and other leaders from the zone and across the six geopolitical zones.
Makinde said Nigerians would be the ones to determine the next leadership of the country, urging PDP leaders to look inward, work together, and salvage the country.
He said, “People have been complaining; they have been talking; they have been making a lot of speculations. Let me say this again, and I will say it myself: nobody will set an agenda for me apart from myself.
“They have also been talking, the ruling party and other parties. Let me say this: if you are accusing the ruling party of interfering with other parties to prevent them from uniting and forming a strong opposition for 2027, my position is that there are certain things within our control.
Whether Governor Adeleke and I will cooperate for the growth and benefit of our party in the South-West is beyond the ruling party. It is between me and Governor Adeleke. So please, let us work together and unite our base; that is all we need to do.
The next election will be APC versus Nigerians. It is not even about APC versus PDP. So, let us do our bit to unite our party and our base, and let the people of Nigeria speak.”
“Nobody apart from myself can set an agenda for my political career.”
In his remarks, the Osun State Governor, Adeleke, said, “We must forget the past divisions and unite for the good of our dear party. It is better for us to resolve conflicts inside Government House than outside. We must refocus on building strong administrative and operational structures.”
Also, the Acting National Chairman, Damagum, described the late Adagunodo as a kind and down-to-earth man whose contributions added value to the party’s successes in the country.
He said that, with unity, the PDP can reclaim all South-West states and the entire country.