The long-simmering battle for the soul of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) resurfaced dramatically on Tuesday as Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, engaged in a fierce exchange of words over the party’s leadership crisis.
Both politicians, who were close political allies during the 2023 general elections, publicly traded barbs, further exposing deep divisions within the opposition party.
Speaking at the inauguration of the newly built PDP secretariat in Ibadan, Makinde launched a scathing attack on Wike and his allies, vowing that he would not allow the party to be dragged into disrepute.
“I know that a lot of you are concerned about what is happening in the PDP,” Makinde said. “We are all in Ibadan, the political, administrative and cultural capital of the Yoruba race.”
Using strong metaphors, the governor accused certain elements within the party of undermining its stability.
“The illegitimate children in the PDP grew up in 2015. For 10 years, they practised their illegitimacy, but they were expelled in November 2025. So, no more vagabonds in the PDP,” he declared.
Makinde blamed the PDP’s internal crisis on a leadership vacuum following the party’s loss of power at the federal level in 2015, saying it created room for destabilising forces to thrive.
He also admitted that he previously aligned with Wike’s camp without fully understanding its intentions.
“Towards 2023, I was yoked with them, but now I have repented. For anyone to hold the PDP hostage so another party can remain in power is unacceptable,” he said.
Expressing confidence in the judiciary, Makinde said ongoing court cases would eventually restore order within the party.
“If a lie endures for 20 years, truth will overtake it in one day. I trust the judiciary to do justice to the PDP,” he added.
Makinde explained that the newly inaugurated PDP secretariat was named after Omokunmi Mustapha, a former party chairman he credited with playing a key role in the PDP’s return to power in Oyo State in 2019.
However, Wike’s camp swiftly fired back.
Earlier, Wike had declared after a meeting of the Rahaman Mohammed-led PDP caretaker committee that he was closely monitoring developments in the Oyo State chapter of the party, while announcing March 29 as the date for the PDP’s national convention.
“I am interested in the survival and success of this party, and I am also interested in all that is happening in Oyo State PDP,” Wike said.
Following Makinde’s remarks, Wike’s spokesman, Lere Olayinka, responded sharply in a post on X, mocking the governor’s comments and accusing him of political inconsistency.
“He admitted that he was a vagabond and claimed to have repented. Happy repentance to him,” Olayinka wrote, adding that Makinde’s political history showed a pattern of frequent party defections.
The crisis worsened last Friday when a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan nullified the November 16, 2025 PDP national convention, invalidating all decisions taken, including the election of the Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) and the expulsion of Wike and former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose.
The court restrained INEC from recognising the Turaki-led NWC and ruled that only a caretaker committee could manage the party pending a fresh convention.
Following the judgment, the Wike-backed caretaker committee convened a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and fixed March 29–30 for the PDP national convention, dissolving the North-West, South-West and Plateau State working committees in the process.
Chairman of the caretaker committee, Rahaman Mohammed, insisted that the party remains united under his leadership and pledged to organise an all-inclusive convention.
“There is no division in the PDP. We are committed to repositioning the party through inclusiveness and transparency,” Mohammed said.
Meanwhile, party workers loyal to the Turaki-led NWC rejected the court ruling, insisting that Turaki remains the legally recognised leader of the PDP.
In a statement signed by 76 staff members, including senior officials of the party and the Peoples Democratic Institute, the workers reaffirmed their loyalty to the Turaki-led NWC, describing the Ibadan convention as valid and binding.
The PDP National Secretariat remains sealed by the police following clashes between rival factions, as the party’s leadership crisis continues to cast a shadow over its future ahead of coming elections.