Makinde at Crossroad as APM 2023 Candidates Reject "Backdoor" Entry of Oyo PDP Faction

By Seyifunmi Odunuga 

​IBADAN – Governor Seyi Makinde faces a significant political hurdle as the Forum of 2023 Allied People’s Movement (APM) General Election Candidates officially declared their opposition to the reported movement of an Oyo State PDP faction into the party. 

In a communique issued after an emergency session on May 7, 2026, the candidates described the move as an attempt to hijack the party structure without consulting the pioneers who built its foundations.

​Forum Chairman Hon. Amigun Samson Ayorinde, popularly known as Kobewude 1, stated that the Governor and his followers are currently at a crossroad regarding their acceptance into the APM. He emphasized that the party’s current visibility in Oyo State was earned through the immense financial and physical sacrifices of the 2023 candidates across the 33 Local Government Areas. 

The forum argued that it is politically impractical to bypass the local leadership and the two national factions—led by Musa Baganna and Dantalle—while seeking refuge in the party.

​The candidates highlighted that while the Musa Baganna faction holds the party’s original certificate, the Dantalle faction is equally critical to the party’s national operations. 

Hon. Ayorinde warned that Governor Makinde must navigate these internal dynamics transparently, insisting that any attempt to negotiate with only one faction would lead to immediate internal distractions and legal challenges.

​To resolve the impasse, the forum has demanded an urgent roundtable talk between the PDP faction, the APM leadership, and all candidates who stood for election in 2023. They maintained that respect in political alliances is reciprocal, asserting that they will not remain idle while the structure they stabilized is "rubbished" or sidelined by latecomers.