Youths in Ibadan Northwest Local Government have pushed back against recent calls by some members of the Peoples Democratic Party urging Governor Seyi Makinde to pick the next House of Representatives candidate for Ibadan Northwest/Ibadan Southwest Federal Constituency solely from Ibadan Northwest on the basis of turn.
The youths described the “Ibadan Northwest lokan” push as narrow and politically unsafe, insisting that elections are won through competence, broad acceptance, and numbers rather than emotional claims.
They argued that if such logic had guided the build up to the 2019 governorship election, Oyo State might not have produced Seyi Makinde, recalling how leaders and stakeholders from Oke Ogun had at the time strongly canvassed “Oke Ogun lokan” on the grounds that the zone had never produced a governor since 1999.
According to them, the state moved past that agitation and chose competence, capacity, and broad appeal, a decision they said ultimately produced victory for the PDP and ushered in the current administration.
They maintained that Governor Seyi Makinde himself stands as a product of that decision, noting that his emergence was not based on zoning pressure but on his ability to win across zones and unify the electorate.
According to them, Governor Seyi Makinde, since assumption of office has delivered measurable results across key sectors of the state, pointing to improvements in infrastructure through extensive road construction and rehabilitation, reforms in education that expanded access and learning conditions, and increased investment in healthcare facilities across urban and rural communities.
They also mentioned strides in security architecture, agribusiness support, and worker welfare policies, noting that these outcomes validate the impact of leadership driven by capacity rather than zoning sentiment.
The youths argued that these gains might not have been possible if political decisions had been based solely on rotation which some party members are currently advocating.
The group stressed that the same standard must guide the choice of candidate for the federal constituency, especially in a contest that requires careful political calculations.
They pointed to ongoing permutations within the opposition All Progressives Congress, where there are indications that the party may present a candidate from Ibadan Southwest, a development they said should not be ignored.
They explained that Ibadan Southwest holds a larger voting population compared to Ibadan Northwest, adding that politics remains a game of numbers where electoral strength, at most times, determines outcomes.
The youths noted that the APC has avoided amplifying zoning sentiments because it understands that such narratives do not win elections, stressing instead that reach, structure, and acceptability are what deliver victory at the polls.
They added that the decision taken by the people of Oyo State in 2019 to support Seyi Makinde shortly after the tenure of Abiola Ajimobi, both from Ibadan, showed that voters prioritise results over rotation.
According to them, youths in Ibadan Northwest are prepared to follow that same path by supporting a candidate with the best chance of winning the seat for the PDP regardless of local government origin.
They concluded that the priority ahead of the next election must be victory for the party, noting that political decisions should be guided by what secures success at the polls rather than sentiments, as the outcome remains the ultimate measure of any effective strategy.
