Oyo Politics: Makinde Can’t Dictate Alliance, No Individual is Bigger Than PDP — Fatola Warns

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Ibadan South-West/North-West Federal Constituency, Hon. Samson Opeyemi Fatola, popularly known as Tesojue, has openly rejected the purported alignment between the PDP and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State, issuing a stern warning that no individual is greater than the party.

Speaking on an indigenous political radio programme, 'Gbagede Oselu', hosted by Fisayo Omole on Iri 96.1 FM in Ibadan, Fatola took a swipe at Governor Seyi Makinde's recent declarations regarding a political merger. The federal lawmaker hopeful maintained that the governor is attempting to use the platform of the PDP to promote the APM, an act he boldly criticized.

Fatola emphasized that the power to negotiate or declare any political alignment rests solely with the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, not with a state governor. He stressed that absolute power corrupts and cautioned politicians who act as though they are bigger than the party to remember that the party is supreme. He insisted that the PDP remains a living, formidable entity fully recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Reaffirming the strength of the party, the House of Representatives candidate dismissed the Turaki-led faction as completely unrecognized. He challenged proponents of the so-called merger to check INEC's official registry, noting that there is no registered political party known as "PDP-APM," as APM and PDP remain distinctly separate entities. According to him, the PDP stands solidly on its own, has successfully conducted its primaries, and proudly holds the record as the only political party in Nigeria that has never changed its core identity or name.

Reacting to widespread insinuations that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and party leader, Nyesom Wike, is playing anti-party politics by aligning with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Fatola vehemently defended the former Rivers State governor. He debunked the "PDP/APC" label repeatedly attached to Wike, describing him as a credible leader whose decision to serve in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet is strictly driven by a desire to deliver hundred percent dividends of democracy to Nigerians. He called for more public enlightenment, arguing that Wike's actions represent national service to the people, not anti-party sabotage.

The PDP standard-bearer also used the live broadcast to lament the heavy monetization and corruption deeply entrenched in Nigeria's electoral system. Fatola noted that the current political landscape is fundamentally flawed and designed to exclude individuals without massive financial war chests. He concluded by calling for an urgent restructuring of the electoral process to allow credible and genuine leaders to contest and emerge for the ultimate benefit of the masses.