Ahead of the 2027 elections, former Senate President Bukola Saraki and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde have called on members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to come together to strengthen the party as a step towards improving Nigeria’s future.
At the inauguration of the Board of Governors for the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI) in Abuja, Saraki and Makinde addressed party leaders, emphasizing the importance of unity and a strong ideological base to gain the confidence of Nigerians.
Makinde highlighted the contrasting governance styles between PDP and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), stressing that Nigerians now see clear differences.
His words: “As we approach 2027, it is clear that the PDP has to provide real hope for Nigeria. And by revitalizing the PDI, that real hope is being provided for our people.
“Our country needs direction. Nigerians are looking up to the PDP to provide an ideological foundation.
“A lot has been said about PDI, how it came to be by former Governor Okwesilieze Nwodo, and also others that have had an interaction with the PDI.
“But the question I will ask is, what will you want to be remembered for? This is a question that every politician who’s had the opportunity to serve at any capacity in our great nation should ask themselves because players will come and go.
“The situation is so dynamic, but you have to be remembered for something.
“So with the inauguration of the PDI Board of Governors, and unveiling of the PDI roadmap by the DG, Dr Edward, the PDP is moving a step closer to defining the ideology that the party stands for, and cementing what the party as a whole will want to be remembered for. This is the essence and the significance of today.
“For me also, from 2019, I’ve been benefitting from PDP. So, I want to say thank you to our great party, and all the stakeholders gathered here today, for allowing me to get not one, but two mandates, back to back, under this umbrella.
“The only thing I can promise you is that, since I fetched water from that well, and I have been drinking since 2019 I will not pollute the well when it’s my time to exit that office.
“The PDP is the only party in Nigeria that has allowed the youth to be part of a political institution, and I do know that the PDI will only expand that space.
“I’m getting old myself. Not too old. I’m still very youthful at heart, my mind and body also are still youthful.
“The PDP can and will do everything in its power to fix Nigeria. We can fix Nigeria. We’ll fix PDP and then PDP will fix Nigeria. And that will be the basis of real hope for the people of Nigeria.”
Saraki echoed these sentiments, highlighting that the strength of any political party lies not just in its ambition but in its foundational ideas and policies.
He said; “Let us move away from building ideas on self, on ambition. We cannot have an ambition if we don’t have a party.
“We cannot have a party if we don’t have ideas. This is where it starts from. This is an important foundation.
“Let us desist from talking about who is running for councillor, or who is running for governor, or who is running for president in 2027.”
