Makinde: I Won’t Go Into the Gutters With Anyone

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has declared that he will not engage in personal attacks or political mudslinging, insisting that leadership should remain focused on service to Nigerians.

Makinde made the remarks in Lagos on Thursday, while addressing journalists after the South-West consultative summit of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“Personally, when people go low or go into the gutters, I don’t follow them there. Some people are already doing that, but we will still reach out to them. That is democracy,” he said.

The governor stressed that disagreements within the party should not be taken personally. “It should be about what we are offering Nigerians because they are watching. I can disagree with people, but it doesn’t have to be personal,” he added.

Despite recent challenges, Makinde expressed optimism about the PDP’s strength, noting that the party performed creditably in the last round of elections.

“In all our states, they showed last Saturday that PDP is not dead. In most of the 12 states, PDP came second. This is a clear signal that with hard work, we can regain the trust of Nigerians,” he said.

On the issue of zoning the PDP presidential ticket to the South, Makinde said discussions had not reached that stage. “We need to have a strong and united PDP first before talking about presidential candidates. Without that, anything else will not stand,” he stated.