Abuja: Wike faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, on Thursday, took over the party’s state secretariat located in the Molete area of Ibadan, which was hitherto occupied by the Seyi Makinde faction. Speaking shortly after gaining access to the building, the state chairman of the party Prof. Rahman Akinoso, said the action followed the recent Supreme Court judgment which affirmed the Wike-led PDP faction as the authentic one.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the Supreme Court had recognised the Wike faction as the legally elected executive, therefore affirming that there is now one PDP in the country. “This is not just about recovering a building; it is about reclaiming the soul, structure, and vision of our great party, the PDP,” Akinoso stated. The takeover represents a turning point in the party’s internal struggle and signals the start of renewed political activities under Gbolarumi’s leadership.
Akinoso further elaborated that the secretariat will resume operations immediately as the central hub for meetings and strategy sessions ahead of the next electoral cycle. He declared that all party activities in the state would henceforth be coordinated from the secretariat, describing the takeover as the beginning of a new chapter for the party in the state. The chairman also revealed plans to commence a grassroots mobilisation campaign across the 33 local government areas of the state, declaring that the party’s political structures had been activated ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Security agencies have been duly notified of the development, Akinoso mentioned. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Mr. Hazeem Gbolarumi, from the Wike camp, is the governorship candidate of the party for the 2027 election. The secretariat had previously been under the control of the Gov. Makinde faction. However, Makinde had formed a political alignment with the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), the platform on which he intends to contest the presidential election. His loyalists have also won APM primary tickets for National and House of Assembly elections.