Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has said “vagabonds” who previously wielded influence within the Peoples Democratic Party have been expelled.
He stated this on Tuesday during the unveiling of the Oyo State PDP secretariat in Ibadan, the state capital, where he also said the party is now free of internal disruption.
Referring to a Yoruba proverb to explain recent developments within the PDP, Makinde said “in Yoruba land, we always say that if you see a house or a compound that is peaceful, the vagabond in that house has not grown up.
The governor said the group became prominent in the PDP having lost power at the federal level in 2015, a period he said created a leadership vacuum.
“In 2015, PDP lost power at the federal level. There was a gap in the leadership. Otherwise, those vagabonds would never have been able to take hold of PDP,” Makinde said, adding that the group dominated the party for nearly a decade before being removed from its affairs.
“They grew up in 2015, they had their time, and for 10 years, a decade, they practised their vagabondry in the PDP. But they were expelled in November 2025. So, there is no more vagabond in the PDP,” he stated.
He said both himself and the government had no hand in the party’s internal legal crises and national leadership issues, adding that “finally, the government has no interest in PDP lawyer states and no interest in PDP nationally,” he said.
Makinde said he previously aligned with the group but has since withdrawn his support.
“Let me confess. I came into government in 2019, and towards 2023, I was yoked with them. But now, I’ve repented,” he said.
