Abuja, NIGERIA — The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has risen in defense of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, dismissing the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s condemnation of his recent speech as the “panic of an animal cornered by its own misdeeds.”
In a sharp rebuttal issued on Sunday, the PDP clarified that the Governor’s reference to the historical “Operation Wetie” was a sobering advisory intended to caution the Federal Government against political greed and the “asphyxiation of the opposition.”
The statement, signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, asserted that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Okay News reports that the PDP drew a direct parallel between the 1960s crisis and the current political climate, accusing the APC of engineering a “slide into elected totalitarianism.” The party maintained that Makinde’s words were not a call to violence but a reminder that citizens pushed to the wall have no choice but to push back.
The PDP further questioned the APC’s moral standing to criticize the Governor, reminding the ruling party of its own rhetoric while in opposition, including the “infamous baboon and blood narrative.” According to Ememobong, the responsibility for any future instability lies “squarely at the doors of the Federal Government, the APC, and INEC.” The party vowed that despite state-sponsored attempts to decimate them, opposition forces will continue to explore “potent strategies” within the law to prevent a one-party state.
The PDP also lambasted the APC for what it called a “comprehensive failure in both governance and politics,” alleging that the ruling party has resorted to inducement and intimidation of opposition figures. The statement concluded by insisting that Nigerians are discerning enough to distinguish between the “aggressors and the victims,” and that no amount of “fear-mongering” will distract from the administration’s perceived culpability in the nation’s current tensions.
