Ondo Governorship Election Will Not Be Handed To Anybody, PDP Will Fight – Makinde Warns

The governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, has said the 2024 Ondo State governorship election will be a ‘fight’ between political parties.

Naija News reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission set November 16, 2024, as the scheduled date for the Ondo State Governorship election.

Speaking on the upcoming election, Makinde claimed that the party lost the 2020 governorship election due to disunity and division in the party.

He stated this on Tuesday during an interactive meeting between critical stakeholders from Ondo State and the National Working Committee at the PDP national headquarters, Wadata Plaza, in Abuja.

Makinde disclosed that the party’s congress, where its governorship candidate will emerge, will be held on Thursday, April 25, 2024.

The governor stressed that they gained valuable lessons from the 2020 Ondo State governorship election, highlighting that while party leaders and members can celebrate success together, failure is challenging to handle collectively.

He announced that the party’s ticket won’t be given easily to any aspirant, emphasising that it will be a competitive battle among all contenders.

According to him, “We learned from the last governorship election. Actually, you learn more when you fail than when you succeed. So we learned bitter lessons.

“For the benefit of everybody, the governorship election in Ondo State is not going to be handed over to anybody. It will be a fight. As PDP, we will fight.

“If, in the past four years ago, we had that division within us that allowed the seat to slip away from us. At this time, we are united and we will stay united to the election. So this is a time for us to come together.

“We may disagree on a few things but from our situation in the Oyo States. Yes, we have disagreements, but we’re solving our problems even as we speak. We’re not solving it outside. We’re solving it right inside the Government House

“We invite you to talk freely. I want to encourage all members to express their views, but please, do so with caution. I also want to reiterate that there is going to be only one candidate.

“I know there are many contestants interested in this, but only one candidate will emerge. So, as we proceed, I urge us to act with a lot of caution.”