RE: APC’S HYPOCRISY, HISTORICAL REVISIONISM, AND DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO SILENCE GOVERNOR SEYI MAKINDE

The Oyo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has launched a blistering counter-attack against the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the ruling party’s recent criticism of Governor Seyi Makinde as a “calculated exercise in political amnesia” and intellectual dishonesty.

In a strongly worded statement made available to the press on Sunday, the PDP fired back at the APC’s National Secretariat, which had earlier accused Governor Makinde of incitement following his references to the “Operation Wet e” episode of the First Republic. The PDP maintained that the APC is attempting to criminalize historical context to mask its own “political anxiety” driven by rising public dissatisfaction across the federation.

The opposition party reminded Nigerians that the APC, which now seeks to sanitize its image, was built on a foundation of aggressive and confrontational rhetoric. The PDP specifically pointed to the opposition years of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former President Muhammadu Buhari, noting that their political messaging often framed resistance to the state as a necessity, famously declaring that power “must be fought for.”

“It is the height of hypocrisy for the APC today to attempt to criminalize Governor Makinde for referencing a historical episode as a cautionary reminder against political intolerance,” the statement read. “Governor Makinde did not call for violence; he invoked history as a warning, not a weapon. Only those uncomfortable with democratic accountability would deliberately distort such context for political convenience.”

The PDP further alleged that the APC’s “desperate attempt to silence” the Oyo State Governor stems from a widening credibility gap between the current administration’s promises and the harsh economic realities faced by citizens. The party warned that attempting to drag Makinde into “manufactured controversy” would fail, as Nigerians are aware of the pattern of misrepresentation targeted at dissenting voices.

Reiterating its commitment to a “marketplace of ideas,” the PDP challenged the APC to subject its own history of political agitation to the same standards it now seeks to impose on others. “Democracy is not a monologue. If the APC now insists that historical references constitute incitement, then it must first reconcile with its own unapologetically aggressive past,” the party added.

While the Southwest APC had earlier chided the Governor for what it termed a “shortfall in historical perception,” the Oyo PDP remains resolute, insisting that Governor Makinde will continue to challenge power with facts. The party concluded by affirming that no amount of “coordinated propaganda or historical distortion” would alter the Governor’s focus on responsible governance and political maturity.