2027: Forget defections, hungry Nigerians hold ace, Makinde tells PDP
By : Rotimi Agboluaje, Ibadan
Seyi Makinde
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde
• Why we’re not considering PDP for coalition , by Lawal
• Tinubu going back to Lagos, el-Rufai confirms Obi, Atiku alliance
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, yesterday, said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will continue to identify with the Nigerian masses and their aspirations despite the gale of defection that hit the party. He believes that suffering Nigerians hold the ace for the outcome of the 2027 general elections.
However, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, revealed that the politicians pushing for a strong opposition coalition considered the PDP a no-go area.
Their reason: the former ruling party has a deadly virus that makes it untouchable. In another development, former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, said President Bola Tinubu would be sent back to Lagos State, while his Minister, Bosun Tijani, who “is doing a great job”, would be retained in the next administration.
El-Rufai stated this while revealing that an alliance between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi was as good as a done deal. Makinde, at the inauguration of the newly-elected South-West executive members of PDP at the party’s zonal secretariat, Ibadan, added that the 2027 election would be determined by hungry Nigerians and not politicians, stressing that the party would not be bothered about members defecting to other parties.
He charged members of the party not to be discouraged by the cases of defection from the party to other parties, noting that PDP remained the only party in Nigeria with very strong institutions.
“People have been asking us, as leaders of this party, that a lot of people are defecting, even governors, and some others are threatening to defect and all of that. Well, I have good news; I said to the people that we will not be bothered until hunger defects to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The day hunger defects, they should come and tell us, and then, we will know what to do. There is hunger in the land, and the majority of the people who are hungry would determine what 2027 would look like,” he added.
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, who described the emergence of the new leaders of the party as a good omen in the South-West, urged the newly inaugurated executive members to strengthen the party structures at all levels through inclusive practices and build the party from the grassroots, to maintain and gain more electoral territory.
Delivering his inaugural speech, the PDP National Vice Chairman (South-West), Kamorudeen Ajisafe, commended the united, peaceful, coordinated and democratic approach of the party during the zonal election, adding that PDP “is more focused” to advance the cause of democracy and development in the South-West and Nigeria as a whole.
IN a speech that might rile most PDP faithful, the former SGF said the coalition’s technical committee was considering registering a new party or adopting and upgrading an existing one.
Lawal, while on Arise Television’s ‘The Morning Show’, yesterday, described the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, as a committed member of the group championing the coalition campaign to wrest power from Tinubu and his APC in 2027.
On why conversations about the coalition spearheaded by Atiku have not featured the PDP, Lawal said: “In all the meetings I’ve attended so far, nobody has ever bothered about adopting the PDP as the platform. We all agree that PDP has an incurable virus. No antibiotic can cure what is ailing the PDP and we don’t want to go into a house that we cannot modify, that is not willing to change,” he said.
MEANWHILE, el-Rufai vowed that Tinubu would be removed, while his Minister of Communications and Digital Economy retained in the next government. Speaking about the coalition, the SDP chieftain also revealed that a “very important meeting” took place between him, Atiku, Obi and other opposition stakeholders.
El-Rufai said: “Yesterday at 8pm, there was a very important meeting of the coalition we’re putting together to ensure that Tinubu goes back to Lagos; though we will still keep Tijani because he is doing good job.”
GUARDIAN Newspapers