Former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has dismissed claims of recognising the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, as his political leader within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing him as someone who could qualify to be his political subordinate.
Oyinlola made the remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he reaffirmed his membership of the PDP but distanced himself from any faction loyal to Wike.
“Yes, I am a member of the PDP, but he’s not my leader. Wike is not my leader,” the former governor declared.
Asked whether Wike was his boy, Oyinlola responded, “He qualifies to be. When I was governor in Lagos, where was he? In school.”
The retired military officer explained that he was the military governor of Lagos State between 1993 and 1996, a period when Wike was still a student.
Oyinlola, who governed Osun State from 2003 to 2010, also blamed the lingering crisis within the PDP on internal forces allegedly frustrating efforts to restore unity and reposition the opposition party.
Speaking on former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s efforts to rebuild the party, he said the former president had been working to re-engineer its structure, but some members were undermining the process.
“He’s been trying to ensure that the party is re-engineered. But those who don’t want it are working against it within the party. That’s the much I can say,” he stated.
Despite the internal divisions, Oyinlola insisted that the PDP remained capable of recovering its political strength, citing its nationwide grassroots structures.
“The PDP is not dead. The bone will rise again,” he said.
He added that the party had structures across all 774 local government areas in Nigeria and could regain its position if members resolved their differences.
“If we get our acts together, it’s a thing we can achieve, but the forces making sure we don’t get there are there. They are not sleeping,” he added.
Wike, who remains a PDP member, was appointed FCT Minister by President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He has also established the Rainbow coalition, a political platform backing Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, a move that has drawn criticism from some PDP members.
