Makinde, Wike At Loggerheads Again Over PDP

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike resumed trading barbs at each other in their lingering battle for control of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Wike, during a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the PDP faction loyal to him in Abuja, vowed to keep an eye on activities in the Oyo State chapter of the PDP, stressing that he won’t allow those he called vampires to hijack the party’s structure across the country.

But in a veiled response, Makinde, yesterday, declared that individuals he described as “vagabonds”, who previously wielded influence within the party, had been expelled.

The governor, who stated this during the unveiling of the Oyo State PDP secretariat in Ibadan, the state capital, said the party is now free of internal disruption.

Makinde and Wike, members of PDP’s G-5 governors, were strong allies going into the 2023 election. They both worked against the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, citing grievances over non-adherence to the party’s North-South geo-power balance system.

However, their relationship has since soured over the control of the PDP ahead of the 2027 election, with Makinde and his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed, backing the Tanimu Turaki-led faction, while Wike backs the Caretaker Committee led by Abdulrahman Mohammed.

The tussle between both camps came to a head when they expelled each other from the party, and clashed at the party’s national secretariat, resulting in its closure. While an Ibadan court annulled the Makinde-led November national convention last week, the Wike camp said it would hold its national convention on March 28, 2026.

Speaking at the NEC meeting on Monday, Wike had said: “Let me declare my interest clearly: I am interested in the survival and success of this party. I am also interested in all the happenings in Oyo State PDP. That is all I am interested in,” he said.

He dismissed claims that party members were being intimidated, arguing that recent court cases had weakened such threats.

“Who will intimidate us to the end? Some of us, by the grace of God, do not see what anyone can threaten us with. The legal battle has collapsed. They have no option but to recognise the Caretaker Committee,” Wike stated.

The FCT minister also warned against what he described as attempts by “vampires” to hijack the party’s structure across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, stressing that such efforts must be resisted.

Drawing from a Yoruba proverb to explain recent developments within the PDP, Makinde said, “In Yoruba land, we always say that if you see a house or a compound that is peaceful, the vagabond in that house has not grown up.”

According to Makinde, the group rose to prominence within the PDP after the party lost power at the federal level in 2015, a period, he said, created a leadership vacuum.

“In 2015, PDP lost power at the federal level. There was a gap in the leadership. Otherwise, those vagabonds would never have been able to take hold of PDP,” Makinde said.

The governor noted that the group dominated the party for nearly a decade before being removed from its affairs.

“They grew up in 2015, they had their time, and for 10 years, a decade, they practised their vagabondry in the PDP. But they were expelled in November 2025. So, there is no more vagabond in PDP,” he stated.

The governor also distanced both himself and the government from the party’s internal legal disputes and national leadership issues.

Reflecting on his political journey, Makinde admitted that he was previously aligned with the group but had since withdrawn his support.

“Let me confess: I came into government in 2019, and towards 2023, I was yoked with them. But now, I’ve repented,” he said.

Makinde stressed that he would not support any attempt by the group to retain control of the party.

“For them to hold PDP for another two years, no, no, no,” he added.

He suggested that the group’s influence was fading and that they would soon disperse, describing them as “wearing rags, dancing around at midnight.”