Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, on Friday, made a declaration that Nigerians do not want a one-party state or system, adding that they wanted alternatives.
He said this during a visit by members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The visit was to commiserate with the governor on the death of 35 children during the stampede that occured at a recent Children Christmas Funfair event in Ibadan and to present the new National Secretary of the party, Sunday Udeh-Okoye, to him.
Makinde said Nigerians want a situation where they will be able to kick out non-performing leaders, adding that this can only be possible if there are alternatives.
The governor said: “The leaders in the party and members of the NWC came to commiserate with us on the unfortunate incident that happened towards the end of last year.
“Because of that, I cancelled my birthday celebration. Even though belated, they still felt they should come and wish me well in the beginning of a new year.
“Yes, this new year has given us the opportunity to talk about happenings within our party, especially the issues surrounding the rule of law.
“There is a court pronouncement on the issue of National Secretary. My position was clear from Day One and I will always follow the rule of law.
“This is the new National Secretary by court pronouncement. I said without mincing words that we will stay on the side of the law.
“We deliberated a little bit on what are the things ahead of us. 2025 is going to be a pivotal year for us as a party.
“Four years ago, I was the secretary of the Convention Planning Committee that midwived this NWC, and four years after, we have to conduct the exercise again.”
Governor Makinde stated further: “We do know that Nigerians are waiting for the PDP to get its acts together. You can see how united the members of the NWC of our party are. There is no faction and this will give headache to some people.
“Well, this is the beginning of a lot of good things to come in terms of party administration and commitment. I heard good things from these our leaders; things that I was not even thinking deeply about.
“One of them said to us that there should not be any sacrifice that would be too big to make in the interest of our party and the interest of Nigerians.”
He added: “We are looking forward to not a one-party state. Nigerians don’t want a one-party state. They want alternatives. They want to be able to kick people out if they are not delivering on their promises.
“So, there is commitment to ensure that Nigerian does not slide into a one-party state.”
Speaking earlier on behalf of the NWC members, the new PDP National Secretary, Udeh-Okoye, commiserated with the government and people of Oyo State on the unfortunate stampede that resulted in the death of 35 children.
“We commiserate with Oyo State people through the governor and our wonderful leader.
“We also want to appeal to the family that lost their loved ones to bear it, having it in mind that it was the will of God that they should go through that channel.
“We also want to say that, we in the PDP, we are one. And when one cries, the other one also joins. And Oyo State, being a PDP state, we are mourning with the state and we commiserate with the affected families and Oyo State at large.
“As the new Secretary, I am bringing unity and cohesion on board. I am going to make sure that from this year onward, the party would function effectively well as the leading opposition party in Nigeria.
“And by the grace of God, by 2027, we will take over Nigeria and give Nigerians the good governance they desire.
“I know that Nigerians are waiting for us. Very soon, you will see majority of them including members of the ruling party coming back to the PDP,” Udeh-Okoye stated.
