Wike-PDP camp declares takeover of Oyo secretariat
July 24, 2026 1:55 am
The campaign organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Oyo State, Hazeem Gbolarumi, on Thursday, announced the takeover of the party’s state secretariat at Molete, Ibadan, the state capital.
The PDP faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, under the leadership of the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led National Working Committee, made the announcement during a visit to the old PDP secretariat at Molete.
Governor Seyi Makinde has since built a new PDP secretariat along the Oke-Ado stretch of the road leading to the old secretariat building.
Speaking at the secretariat, Prof Rahman Akinoso said the action followed the Supreme Court judgment which, according to him, affirmed that there is now “one PDP” in the country.
He disclosed that security agencies had been duly notified of the development, adding that all activities relating to the PDP in Oyo State would henceforth be coordinated from the Molete secretariat.
“The action follows the Supreme Court judgment that says there is now one PDP. We have duly notified the security agencies. Our activities in relation to the PDP in Oyo State will now start from here,” Akinoso said.
The Gbolarumi campaign council described the development as the beginning of “a new chapter” for the party in the state, claiming it signalled the return of what it called the “authentic PDP” to its political base.
The group alleged that the party secretariat had been under the control of loyalists of Makinde, accusing them of abandoning the PDP following the governor’s alleged political alignment with the Allied People’s Movement.
“The authentic PDP is back home. This is not just about recovering a building; it is about reclaiming the soul, structure and vision of our great party. Today marks the beginning of a new era in Oyo politics,” the group stated.
According to the Gbolarumi camp, “the takeover of the Molete secretariat represents a major turning point in the party’s internal struggle and signals the commencement of a renewed political movement under the leadership of Gbolarumi.”
It also announced plans to commence an extensive grassroots mobilisation campaign across the 33 local government areas of the state, saying its political structures had been fully activated ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
It added that the Molete secretariat would immediately resume operations as its central coordination hub, where party leaders, members and supporters would meet to strategise ahead of the next electoral cycle.
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