A socio-political group— Ibadan Youth for Even Development, IBfED, has said the establishment of self-belief and power-drunk by the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state as well as its members will cost the party the deserved victory in 2023.
In a message, a copy of which was received by OYOINSIGHT.COM, the group in a statement by its president and secretary, Kehinde Adegbenro and Ishola Wahab, said that Makinde and his party have done well enough to rule the state till 2027 “but undemocratic leadership and overbearing attitude of the party leadership ha?3 already created damages that will befall the party come 2023.”
IBfED said if only PDP leaders could go back to the political memory lane, it will be easier for them to know why it took the party a good eight years to come back to power in Oyo state, even when not deserved if not a coalition.
The youth said that aside from naively conceding some local governments to the opposition in 2023, it added that the Oyo PDP will not only lose Ibadan North local government, especially in constituency 1 but will also be by a wide margin because the party decided to give merit to the unmerited person.
According to IBfED, “Though our statement might be bitter to swallow but it will be on record that our group, Ibadan Youth for Even Development, IBfED, at a time notified Governor Makinde and Oyo PDP on how self belief , overconfidence will cost the party victory in 2023 general election.
“As a group of youth of Ibadan indigenes, seeking the development of our dear city, it has been noticed that our silence in some political activities will cause more damage and retrogression in Ibadan if not involved.
“It is our wish to enjoy Governor Makinde’s administration till 2027 because he deserves to be re-elected, but not only our group, majority of people have seen that PDP are too much of confidence that its reelection is 100 per cent, not considering the interest of the residents of the state, especially Ibadan people.
“Even, not minding the overhyping of the party on social media, it has been seen that Governor Seyi Makinde and the party stakeholders have neglected many election-winning factors rather than deciding to do things, select who to get party tickets as it pleases them.
“Aside from many errors committed in Okeogun, it has been noticed that the party through its leaders also gave the party tickets to the highest bidders in the Ibadan zone, not considering other factors, a typical example is Ibadan North constituency 1, where the incumbent lawmaker who is believed to be a credible person with an outstanding record won the party primaries for state assembly but was substituted with an aspirant who already accepted defeat at the venue of the primary after it was concluded.
“The Ibadan North constituency 1 primary election, having met all due processes, was agreed to have been won by the incumbent, Hon. Folajimi Oyekunle but the self-centered and pay-as-you-go leaders are adamant in substituting the name of the winner for the second runner-up.
“The shameful, undemocratic actions by Oyo PDP not only happened in Ibadan North, it was almost everywhere. Oluyole local government is also a case study, where a certain aspirant was forced on other aspirants.
“This remains worrisome as the supposed party in government and the major opposition party regardless of the advocacy and engagement by the governor of the masses in Oyo state, Engr. Seyi Makinde towards ensuring the party promotes fairness and integrity of candidacy emergence closed their political space by imposing an unpopular candidate at the detriment of the party’s choice, stealing a mandate she never deserved.
“As of today, if the likes of Hon. Folajimi Oyekunle and other aspirants’ political rights are denied with no apology made, to them and the public, then, it should believed that Oyo PDP is going into the 2023 election with an ulterior motive because the overconfidence has set up the election for the party to lose.,” they said.
