From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has to provide real hope for the country in the 2027 general elections.
He stated this, yesterday, at the inauguration of the Board of Governors Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI) and unveiling of the roadmap for the Institute, at the opposition party’s national secretariat, Abuja.
While stating that the country needs direction, in the run-up to the next general elections, he said Nigerians were looking up to the PDP to provide the ideological foundation.
Makinde added that Nigerians having tasted the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC), having seen the difference and are returning to return the opposition party.
Nevertheless, while calling on party faithful to close ranks, he stated that the PDP will be fixed and the party will in turn fix the country.
He expressed appreciation for all those who contributed to the revitalisation of the PDI, which was established during the tenure of President Olusegun Obasanjo as the strategic think tank of the opposition party.
According to him, the unveiling of the PDI roadmap is “the renewal of the PDP’s pledge to start planning for governance and set out a blueprint to rebuild our nation.
“The PDP can, and will do everything in its power to fix Nigeria. We can fix Nigeria. We’ll fix PDP and then PDP will fix Nigeria. And that will be the basis of real hope for the people of Nigeria.”
The governor recalled that “when PDI was formed, this was during President Olusegun Obasanjo time, and it was championed by our father of the day, Waziri Adama, our former vice president, Atiku Abubakar. When PDI was formed then, it contributed positively to governance in the country, and also started as a platform for strategic insights into national development.
“So, one will take a pause and we say, okay, what happened during the 16 years of PDI in power nationally? During those years, we can rightly refer to them as the golden years, we got debt forgiveness, we were interacting with everybody around the world, we were not in parallel relations, but you can just imagine where we were coming from.”
Makinde noted that in the aftermath of the 2015 general elections, things have gone from bad to worse in the country. He posited that the country has moved from “next level of economic instability to renewed troubles,” since the exit of the PDP from power.
“As we approach 2027, it is clear that the PDP has to provide real hope for Nigeria. And by revitalizing the PDI, that real hope is being provided for our people. Our country needs direction. Nigerians are looking up to the PDP to provide an ideological foundation.
“My own people, they will say, if a woman marries two men, then that woman will know the difference. I think Nigeria has married two old men, they’ve seen PDP in governments, they’ve seen APC in governments, and I know they are ready to go back to the husband of their youth.”
Makinde charged all party faithful and lovers of the country to rally round the PDP, noting that the opposition party needs to unite to wrestle power from the APC in the forthcoming Ondo State gubernatorial contest.
“We must work together to ensure that no form of rigging, either institutional or being propagated by the ruling party, will succeed. We must go to Ondo State as one united party and resist any attempts to truncate the wills of the people.”
The former Senate president, Bukola Saraki, while speaking at the event, stated that political parties are built on ideas, philosophies and policies.
“Parties are built on ideas, philosophies and policies. Let us move away from building ideas on self, on ambition. We cannot have ambition if we don’t have a party.
“We cannot have a party if we don’t have ideas. This is where it starts from. This is the foundation that is important. Let us desist from talking about who is running for councillor, or who is running for governor, or who is running for president in 2027.
“Let us talk about what PDP is. What does PDP represent? What are the issues and policies that we must take into account? This is what is important for us. This is what Nigerians outside want to know. This is what is important.”
