Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has dismissed claims that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is dead, insisting that the opposition party remains strong and poised to surprise its critics ahead of the 2027 general elections, a position he stated on Friday while addressing the South-West PDP Stakeholders’ Meeting in Abeokuta, Ogun State, attended by party leaders and political office holders from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti states. The meeting drew notable figures including Oyo State House of Assembly Speaker, Debo Ogundoyin; PDP members of the House of Representatives from Oyo State; former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; PDP National Secretary, Senator Taofeek Arapaja; South-West PDP Chairman, Kamorudeen Ajisafe; and former Ogun governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, while some defectors from the All Progressives Congress and the New Nigeria Peoples Party were also received. Makinde said the large turnout and defections had debunked claims of the party’s irrelevance, declaring, “I can assure you that the PDP is well and alive. Whoever thinks otherwise will be surprised beyond their imagination,” as he urged party leaders and members to remain united, committed and focused on strengthening grassroots structures across communities, wards and local government areas, adding, “So, my charge to you is, please hold your communities, hold your wards, hold your local governments, and it will be well with us.” He encouraged party faithful to stay loyal and optimistic about the party’s future, while Adebutu, in his remarks, said the PDP had again proved its critics wrong and urged members to remain steadfast, saying, “Let’s remain firm in the PDP. We now have structures from the ward to the national level. So, we have nothing to fear.”
