A key figure in Oyo State politics, Bisi Ilaka, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he served for decades in senior roles, including as Chief of Staff to Governor Seyi Makinde.
Ilaka, a former Chief of Staff and senior PDP figure, tendered his resignation in a letter dated Tuesday, February 10. The letter, addressed to his local party Ward Chairman in Oyi East Local Government, expressed “utmost humility” in leaving the party. He thanked the PDP for opportunities to serve at state and national levels, stating, “I am eternally grateful for the opportunities afforded to me by the party and the unalloyed support given to me over the years. Till we meet again.”
Governor Makinde first appointed Ilaka as his pioneer Chief of Staff upon taking office on May 29, 2019. Ilaka held the position until 2021, when Segun Ogunwuyi succeeded him. Following the 2023 general elections, which saw Governor Makinde re-elected, Ilaka was reappointed to the Chief of Staff role.
Ilaka’s exit from the PDP follows a similar move by another prominent party member in the state. Former Senator Agboola Ayoola, widely known as Alleluyah, also left the party in October. Ayoola, from Itesiwaju Local Government, previously served as Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs under former governors Rashidi Ladoja and Adebayo Alao-Akala between 2003 and 2011. He was historically the only candidate from the PDP elected to the Senate from Nigeria’s South-West geopolitical zone during the 2011-2015 term.
These departures signal ongoing political realignments within one of Nigeria’s major parties in a strategically important state. The PDP remains a dominant force in Oyo, but the loss of long-serving, high-profile members like Ilaka and Ayoola underscores shifting allegiances ahead of future electoral cycles. The immediate impact on the state’s political landscape and Governor Makinde’s administration will be closely observed.
