With just days to the February 25, 2023 general elections, uncertainty reportedly surrounded the campaign efforts of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates contesting National Assembly seats across Oyo State.
The development was linked to the unresolved disagreement between the PDP’s G5 governors and the national leadership of the party, as well as Governor Seyi Makinde’s position on the party’s presidential candidate at the time.
The G5 governors had been at odds with the PDP leadership over the continued leadership of Senator Iyorchia Ayu as national chairman after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 election.
In Oyo State, the situation generated concerns among some PDP candidates and their supporters over its possible impact on the senatorial and House of Representatives contests.
Makinde, who was also seeking a second term as governor on the PDP platform, had not openly campaigned for Atiku in the state. Instead, he repeatedly urged voters to support PDP candidates in the general elections without publicly endorsing the party’s presidential candidate.
As one of the leading members of the G5, Makinde’s position was widely interpreted as being at variance with the national leadership of the PDP on the presidential contest.
Makinde’s Absence From Atiku’s Rally
The situation attracted further attention when Atiku visited Ibadan for a PDP presidential campaign rally.
Although arrangements for the rally were reportedly supported by the state government and some associates of the governor, Makinde was conspicuously absent from the event.
At the time, there were reports that Makinde had allowed the rally to proceed following efforts by former Oyo State governor, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, and other stakeholders to ease tensions within the party.
Another issue that generated discussion was the appearance of campaign posters belonging to some PDP National Assembly candidates without Atiku’s photograph.
Reports at the time suggested that several posters were produced or displayed shortly before the rally, reflecting the uncertainty surrounding the presidential contest among some of the governor’s political associates.
Among the PDP chieftains who publicly campaigned for Atiku at the Ibadan rally under the National Mandate Group, Oyo State chapter, were former Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Elder Wole Oyelese; former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Olajumoke Akinjide; former Oyo State Deputy Governor, Hazeem Gbolarumi; and the then Director of Special Duties of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Engineer Femi Babalola, popularly known as Jogor.
Concerns Over Possible Impact on National Assembly Polls
The disagreement within the PDP also raised concerns among some political observers about its possible effect on the National Assembly elections in Oyo State.
According to the observers, the uncertainty could make it difficult for some voters to reconcile voting for a PDP candidate at the National Assembly level while supporting a presidential candidate from another political party.
They argued that such a voting pattern could potentially benefit opposition candidates, particularly those of the All Progressives Congress (APC), whose presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had a strong political structure and campaign presence in the state.
Some observers also compared the situation with the impact of the 2015 presidential election, when Muhammadu Buhari’s popularity was widely believed to have influenced the fortunes of several APC candidates contesting other elective positions.
The Oyo State chapter of the PDP, however, maintained that the party would campaign for all its candidates, including Atiku.
Makinde’s Meeting With Tinubu
The governor’s position became the subject of further political discussion after he received Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate, and members of his entourage during a courtesy visit to Ibadan ahead of the APC presidential campaign rally in the state.
Speaking during the visit, Makinde said Oyo State would support a presidential candidate whose emergence would promote equity, justice and the unity of Nigeria.
He also stressed the importance of putting the interests of the people first, noting that political actors would come and go while the country would remain.
Addressing the position of the G5 governors, Makinde said that if the group had to choose between individual political ambitions and the unity of Nigeria, they would choose the country’s unity.
He also referred to the APC presidential primary that produced Tinubu as its candidate and commended the position taken by some Northern governors who had supported the emergence of a Southern presidential candidate.
With the election only days away at the time, the major question remained how the internal disagreement within the PDP would affect its candidates across Oyo State.
For the party’s National Assembly candidates, the outcome depended not only on their individual campaigns but also on how voters interpreted the political choices being made by the party’s leadership and its influential figures.
The February 25, 2023 elections would ultimately determine the extent to which the internal political differences affected the PDP’s performance in Oyo State.
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