The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Taminu Turaki, has declared that the party is ready to win the forthcoming off-season governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti States.

Mr. Turaki spoke after a closed-door meeting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

Paying tribute to Chief Obasanjo and other founding fathers of the party, Mr. Turaki said the PDP was more determined than ever to reclaim what he described as its rightful place in Nigeria’s political landscape.

He was accompanied by the former Senate President and Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Sen. Adolphus Wabara; a former Governor of Niger State, Alhaji Muazu Babangida Aliyu; a former Governor of Plateau State, Sen. Jonah Jang; the former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Alhaji Taofeek Arapaja; and the Ogun State PDP Chairman, Mr. Abayomi Tella, among others.

Speaking on the purpose of the visit, Mr. Turaki said, “During our recent Congress in Ibadan, we came to introduce ourselves to our father, a former President under the PDP administration, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. I did not come alone. The former Senate President and BoT Chairman of our great party, Sen. Adolphus Wabara, is here.

“Likewise, our National Secretary, the former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Alhaji Taofeek Arapaja, and two former Governors of Niger and Plateau States, Alhaji Muazu Babangida Aliyu and Sen. Jonah Jang, are also part of the entourage.”

He added, “We came to thank the former President for his vision and contributions to strengthening our democracy and good governance while he was in power. We also came to appreciate his role in building strong institutions that the country continues to benefit from today. Furthermore, we sought his guidance and inspiration as an oracle to help us in the gargantuan task that lies ahead.”

Using a proverb to underscore the importance of experience, Mr. Turaki said, “A woman who started cooking before you must definitely have more broken pots. We have come to see our father here in Abeokuta, and we have spoken to Baba, and Baba too has spoken to us. We are enriched.”

He continued, “We now realise more than ever that while the task ahead may not be easy, the inspiration and guidance received from Baba today have prepared us to go all the way and take the PDP back to the seat of power come 2027.”

Outlining the party’s strategy, Mr. Turaki said the PDP was fully prepared for the 2027 general elections. “PDP is battle-ready for 2027. As a mark of our readiness, we shall first reclaim Ekiti State, followed by Osun State. By the time we win these two states, no one will doubt that the PDP is on the rise and ready to challenge the APC government’s incompetence and maladministration,” he said.

He also stressed the need for unity among party members. “The advice I give PDP members globally is that the PDP is back and ready to take its rightful place in the democratic process of the country. Since our convention in Ibadan, the APC is more worried than ever. The equation has changed, and the PDP is prepared to send them packing in 2027,” Mr. Turaki said.

In his remarks, the Ogun State PDP Chairman, Mr. Abayomi Tella, described the visit as signalling a “new dawn” for the party.

“Party members are happy, and our hope is rekindled. The era of past shenanigans is over. It is a new dawn, and we are all ready,” Mr. Tella said.

Speaking on the 2027 elections, he added, “It will be the people versus political parties. Whether it is APC or PDP, the people of Ogun State have tasted water and palm oil, and they understand the difference. With the support of the people, the PDP will get the mantle of leadership in 2027. Everyone is tired of this government, and we are battle-ready.”

He concluded with a warning: “What happened in 2023 will not repeat itself. What happened during the Remo Federal Constituency by-election in August will not repeat. We are all indigenes and residents of this state, and we have the right to vote and be voted for. No one can stop us from exercising that right in 2027.”