Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde said yesterday that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is no longer controlled by expelled elements he called “vagabonds” in a covert reaction to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Mr. Nyesom Wike’s tirade on Monday.
Both Wike and Makinde were members of the G5 governors in the lead-up to the 2023 general elections, but later fell apart shortly after the election.
Speaking at the commissioning of Oyo PDP Secretariat at Oke Ado, Ibadan, yesterday, Makinde said the “vagabonds” in the PDP were expelled in November 2025, and attributed the party’s challenges to a leadership vacuum that emerged after 2015, which he said allowed indiscipline to thrive.
The governor said: “In Yoruba land, we always say that if you see a house or a compound that is peaceful, the vagabond in that house has not grown up.
“The vagabonds in PDP; they grew up in 2015. They had their time and 10 years — a decade — they practised their ‘vagabondcy’ in the PDP. But they were expelled in November 2025, so no more vagabonds in PDP.
“So whatever it is that they are doing, you should be able to trace it back to their origin.
In 2015, PDP lost power at the federal level; there was a gap in the leadership; otherwise, those vagabonds will never have been able to take hold of PDP.”
The governor said he was previously aligned with the group but had since distanced himself.
“Let me confess, I came into government in 2019, and towards 2023, I was yoked with them, but now I’ve repented, I’m now born again,” he added.
Makinde, who said allowing the group to dominate the party again would be unacceptable, also accused unnamed actors of spreading falsehoods against the party.
“But for them to hold PDP down for another party to be in power, it is a no-no. The leaders who were here to give us the goodwill messages kept hammering on something.
“They kept talking about the truth, the truth and the truth. And what I will say is lies. They can continue peddling their lies for 20 years. But the day truth comes out, that is the end of the lies,’’ Makinde said.
While expressing confidence in the judiciary to resolve ongoing legal disputes involving the party, he said the various court cases involving the PDP would eventually be resolved.
