Atiku’s coalition motive unknown to PDP, says Makinde | Prestige News 

– Party organs with PDP governors

– Anyanwu kicks

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde yesterday shed light on the rejection of coalition, alliance and merger proposed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

He said the merger or coalition talks are unknown to the main opposition party.

The Oyo State governor said: “We didn’t just wake up and say me as xyz in the party just draw the party into any arrangements when the party organs do not have clue on what you are doing.

“They have no clue of what is in this coalition. They also have no clue whether this is personal or whether you are doing this in best interest of the party and the people of Nigeria. Those are critical.”

He spoke on a television programme.

The former vice president on March 20 at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, along with some others, including Malam Nasir EL-Rufai, declared the formation of a coalition against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 election.

The governor reiterated the resolution of the PDP Governors’ Forum, which distanced itself from the coalition.

Defending the communique of the meeting, Makinde said the resolutions reflected the wide consultations with party stakeholders.

Emphasising that the Ibadan meeting was validated by the leadership of his party, he pointed out that the governors did not only meet as PDP Governors’ Forum, but they also invited the managers of the party.

He added: “The acting National Chairman, National Legal Adviser and the National Organizing Secretary were there with us. Other members of the NWC were waiting around the venue of the meeting, just in case there would be any need for them.

“We decided to tackle headlong the challenges within our party, and I’m quite glad we were able to make those decisions.”

Makinde added: “There must be a process. If the managers of the party, the organs of the party are going into a merger or coalition, there’s need for the managers of the party to know.

“But, if you have individuals, it is still within their right to associate with whoever they want to associate with. However, as a party, we haven’t gotten there. Our first assignment is to put the party on a sound pedestal.

“Politics is a game of interest. You must be interested, you must have alignment with the wider organs of your party before you go out to meet other people.”

The governors also rejected the claims by Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Monday Ude-Okoye to the position of the National Secretary.

But rejecting the Forum’s directive that the Deputy National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo, should act as secretary in the interim, Anyanwu said it contradicted the judgment of the Supreme Court on the party’s leadership crisis.

I remain PDP national secretary, says Anyanwu

Anyanwu said the position of the National Secretary is not vacant, adding that he cannot be supplanted.

He said: “I remain the National Secretary of the PDP; this is not the first time that some people are trying a shortcut that falls short of the PDP constitution and contradicts the orders of the court.”

Anyanwu said those influencing the governors to remove him from office are not helping the party.

He said the Supreme Court judgment of March explicitly invalidated two previous judgments that those involved in the proxy war against him had relied upon.

He also pointed out that a subsisting Federal High Court order of January clearly restrains the PDP, its leaders, Deputy National Secretary, Koshoedo, or any other person from acting as the National Secretary.

Anyanwu said he would resume fully at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja, insisting that there is no vacancy.

He added: “It seems that they deliberately want to kill the PDP today and tomorrow and blame Wike for it.

At the governors’ meeting, the party’s National Legal Adviser told them that such decision on the position of PDP National Secretary is wrong, that the Supreme Court had spoken on the matter.”

Anyanwu said the copy of the Supreme Court judgment affirming his position as National Secretary has been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by his lawyer.

Group to governors: leave Anyanwu alone

A group, ‘PDP Youth Group in the Southsouth,’ warned the governors against troubling Anyanwu, saying that they are creating tension in the party.

It accused the governors of hypocrisy, adding that five of them are supporting President Tinubu for a second term.

The group said in a statement: “Senator Samuel Anyanwu’s reinstatement by the Supreme Court in March 2025 confirms his position as the authentic National Secretary of the party, but some governors who are reportedly upset over his ties or friendship with the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, are pushing for his ouster, even in ways contrary to the party’s constitution.”

I won’t be distracted, says Makinde

Speaking further on the programme, Makinde said he would not be distracted by the clamour in some quarters for him to run for President in 2027.

The governor said he would not allow anyone to set an agenda for him, adding that as of now, he remained committed to delivering infrastructure, policies and programmes that will make lives more meaningful for the people, which is the mandate given to him.

He maintained that though he has the capacity to occupy the highest position in the land, he would put into consideration what the Nigerian people want, what his political party wants and what would be in the best interest of the people.

He added that if his political journey ends with being governor of Oyo State, he would cherish the opportunity given to him by the people.

The governor maintained that his administration has been able to build road infrastructure and put in place adequate security across the state, noting that these are the enablers for the agribusiness success and economic expansion being witnessed.

He made a reference to his recent trip to France, saying that it was to finalise the deal to have a Food Wholesale Market established in Ijaiye by the Rungis International. He described the project and the Special Agro-Processing Zones springing up in Eruwa and Ijaiye as some of the gains of the agribusiness policy of the administration.

– The Nation