Makinde Dissects 2023 Election, Identifies Infighting, Disregard of Wise Counsel for PDP 2023 Election Loss

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has revealed the internal issues that plagued the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before the 2023 general elections.

According to Governor Makinde, the party’s inability to appear as cohesive as well as an inability to hold onto the reins of its internal operations proved costly to the party in the federal system.

Governor Makinde revealed that he had cautioned against the centralization of the key positions of the party’s presidential campaign in the hands of the northern states. He stated specifically that the party chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayew, was North Central, the presidential candidate was North East, and the proposed Director-General of the campaign, Senator Tamboa, was Northwest.

“I said to them, you know, it’s not that he’s not qualified, but if the three major influential positions are taken by the North East, North Central, and Northwest, how do we sell that position nationwide?” Governor Makinde explained.

He indicated that this was “self-inflicted” and could have been avoided had the party moved more inclusively.

Governor Makinde also disclosed that he had attempted to broker a unity ticket with Governor Wike, which was rejected by persons in the campaign entourage of the presidential candidate. According to him, this rejection served to expose the party’s fortunes to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Oyo State Governor expressed his dismay at the party’s failure to learn from previous mistakes, citing the 2015 general election. According to him, the party would have remained in government if not for the actions of certain individuals who walked out of the party’s national convention.

Governor Makinde challenged the party to put their differences aside and come together under one cause ahead of the elections in 2027.

He demanded that the PDP remains the “big hope of the common man” and that the Nigerians look up to the party to tidy itself up. “The greatest number of citizens of this country are saying, ‘you lot go get yourself together, and then leave the rest to us,'” he continued.

Coming out of the blues, Governor Makinde stated that the 2027 election would not be a walkover fight between the PDP and APC but intimated that politics may be more nuanced than previously believed.