A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party has defended comments by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde referencing the historical “Operation Wetie” crisis, insisting the remarks were a caution against political excesses and not a call to violence, amid rising tensions ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the PDP accused the Federal Government and the All Progressives Congress of deliberately misinterpreting the governor’s speech at the Opposition Political Parties National Summit held in Ibadan on Saturday.

“The use of history in the way and manner done by Governor Makinde in the said speech served as a caution and advisory to the Federal Government, the APC, and other national institutions, of the unmitigated crisis that their actions and inactions can result in. Only a guilty aggressor can interpret it to mean a threat or call to violence. It is common knowledge that those who do not learn from history are doomed by it,” the party said.

Makinde, who hosted the summit attended by key opposition figures, had referenced the violent political episode in the old Western Region, drawing criticism from the APC, which described the comment as a veiled threat.

But the PDP maintained that the governor merely warned of the consequences of poor governance and political repression, stating that his remarks underscored how “insatiable political greed and avarice” combined with public frustration could trigger widespread unrest.

The party further alleged that current political developments mirrored past crises, warning that “the events that led to the sad incident of ‘wetie’ and the current happenings within the political space, as orchestrated by the APC, are not just similar but identical in both intent and execution.”

It also accused the ruling party of fostering authoritarian tendencies, saying, “The current slide into elected totalitarianism has been entirely engineered by the APC and the Federal Government. They cannot decry the effect while remaining willfully blind to the cause and to their own culpability in it.”

The PDP argued that the APC lacked the moral standing to criticise Makinde’s remarks, recalling that “when the APC was in opposition, they did not merely threaten violence, they openly promised to make the country ungovernable, with the infamous baboon and blood narrative.”

Warning against what it described as efforts to weaken opposition politics, the party said it would continue to adopt lawful strategies to resist any attempt to impose a one-party system, adding that responsibility for any election-related violence would rest with “the Federal Government, the All Progressives Congress, INEC, and every national institution charged with the defence of democracy.”

The statement followed sharp criticism from the APC in Oyo State, which dismissed participants at the Ibadan summit as unserious and incapable of mounting a credible political challenge.

In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the party said, “They are just wasting their time as it is just impossible for them to catch up with a man who is several kilometres ahead of them in a marathon.”

Sadare also warned against Makinde’s remarks, stating, “The ‘Operation Wetie’ threat, which came from Gov. Makinde, would not be taken with a pinch of salt as it was a revelation, but he should realise that no unrest or violence will mar the 2027 general elections.”

The Ibadan summit, which brought together opposition leaders across party lines, focused on strategies to unseat the ruling APC in 2027, further intensifying political exchanges between both camps. (The PUNCH)