2027: Gbolarumi’s Political Survival Threatened as Makinde, Wike Alliance Deepens Oyo PDP Rift

Nifemi Peters

The internal cohesion of the Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has hit a critical breaking point as the escalating alliance between Governor Seyi Makinde and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, continues to reshape the state’s political landscape.

​The fallout has centered on the political future of Alhaji Hazeem Gbolarumi, a former Deputy Governor and a founding pillar of the party in the state. Gbolarumi, who has been a vocal critic of the Governor’s recent administrative style, is facing a severe threat to his political relevance following a series of high-tension events, including a violent attack on his private residence in Ibadan earlier this year. The attack, which left several party members injured, was linked by Gbolarumi’s camp to the growing hostility within the party over the control of its structures.

​At the core of the dispute is the 2027 gubernatorial succession. Gbolarumi has publicly accused Governor Makinde of attempting to hand-pick a successor without consulting the party’s established leadership. The former Deputy Governor argues that such a move violates the democratic principles upon which the PDP was built and effectively “perishes” the political prospects of veteran loyalists who helped Makinde secure power in 2019.

​The rift has deepened since the formation of a pro-Wike faction within the Oyo PDP, led by Raham Akinoso and championed by Gbolarumi. This group asserts that the Governor’s claim of having “no political godfathers” is a strategic attempt to sideline the very individuals who facilitated his emergence. In retaliation, the Makinde-led faction has largely ignored these grievances, focusing instead on national realignments and the consolidation of the state executive council.

​Analysts on Agidigbo 88.7 FM’s “So Kan Wa” parliament suggest that the Governor’s silence is a calculated move to isolate Gbolarumi, leaving him in a precarious position as the 2027 race gathers momentum. With the party now split into distinct factions, the prospect of a united PDP entering the next election cycle appears increasingly dim.

​As the struggle for the “keys to Agodi Government House” intensifies, the fate of the Gbolarumi camp serves as a barometer for the future of internal democracy in Oyo State. Whether the veteran politician can survive this wave of marginalization or if the Makinde-Wike alliance will permanently alter the state’s political hierarchy remains the defining question of the current dispensation.