A senior broadcast executive at Television Continental (TVC) has alleged that Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde would have defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) if he were serving his first term, tying the speculation to the party’s recent internal crisis.
Babajide Kolade-Otitoju, TVC’s Director of News, made the claim during the station’s ‘Breakfast Show’ on Friday. His comments focus on the PDP’s embattled National Convention, held in Ibadan, Oyo State, last November despite pending court orders.
Otitoju described the convention as an ineffective exercise that deepened the party’s divisions. He noted that two courts had enjoined the party from proceeding but the leadership ignored the rulings. “What was the point of having that convention?” he questioned. “Two courts told you not to go ahead but you went ahead.”
The TVC director referenced a proposal by former Senate President Bukola Saraki for a caretaker committee to manage the party’s affairs, suggesting the PDP’s leadership refused sound counsel. “I may not be a fan of former Senate President Bukola Saraki but if he says something that makes sense, I will be the first to admit it,” Otitoju stated. He argued that by rejecting this path, the party’s current leadership is responsible for its own struggles, not outside forces. “Later you will be shouting that the ruling party is behind your crisis, meanwhile you are the architect of your own misfortunes. You created this problem.”
It was within this context that Otitoju addressed Governor Makinde’s political position. Makinde, who is serving his second and final term as governor, is a key PDP figure and chairs the party’s National Reconciliation Committee. Otitoju asserted that Makinde’s secure term status insulates him from pressure that might otherwise prompt a defection. “If Makinde were in his first term, he would have fled like the dancing governor because his second term would have been in danger,” he said, using a colloquial reference to politicians who switch parties.
The PDP’s November convention was conducted by a faction loyal to national chairman Uche Secondus, despite a court ruling recognizing a different leadership panel. The event was heavily boycotted by key party figures, including governors and national assembly members, and was subsequently nullified by a Federal High Court in Abuja. The crisis has left the main opposition party fragmented and legally embattled ahead of the 2027 general election cycle.
Otitoju’s analysis suggests that the PDP’s internal discord, highlighted by the disputed convention, has created political vulnerabilities for its members. His remarks imply that the party’s instability is a self-inflicted wound, a narrative that will likely intensify discussions on opposition unity in Nigeria’s political landscape. The comments also underscore the high stakes within the PDP as it grapples with leadership disputes and seeks to reposition itself as a credible alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
