Youths in Ibadan NorthWest Local Government have rejected the calls made by some leaders that the next Federal Representative for the Ibadan NorthWest and Ibadan SouthWest Federal Constituency must come from Ibadan NorthWest.
The youths, in a widely circulating statement, described the demand as anti-merit and anti-competence which Governor Seyi Makinde has always spoken against, recalling that the governor himself said that the choice of who becomes Governor of Oyo State will be squarely determined by competence and loyalty to the good people of the state, as against whatever sentimental considerations.
They added that the primary purpose of a political party is to win elections and serve the people, saying that if the Peoples Democratic Party is truly concerned about victory in the next election, then electability and capacity to win should be the major factors in choosing a candidate rather than relying on what they described as an unproven agreement.
The youths made their position known in a statement which reads in full.
“Our attention has been drawn to reports of a meeting where some leaders in Ibadan NorthWest Local Government called for the automatic zoning of the House of Representatives ticket of our party to Ibadan NorthWest ahead of the 2027 election.
“As youths who are deeply committed to the growth of our party and the progress of our constituency, we consider it necessary to state clearly that such a position does not reflect the thinking of many young people who are actively involved in building the future of the party.
“We hold firmly that democracy succeeds when competence, character, and the ability to win the confidence of the people are placed above sentiments of location and political pressure.
“We believe the leadership example shown by Governor Seyi Makinde has always encouraged fairness and merit, and it would therefore be inconsistent with that tradition to reduce the choice of a candidate to a narrow argument about where the person comes from.
“Our constituency deserves the best possible representation, and the best representation can only come from a candidate who has the strength, popularity, credibility, and capacity to secure victory for the party and deliver quality service to the people.
“We also note that elections are won through broad acceptance among voters, and any decision that ignores this important political reality could place the chances of our party at risk in a competitive electoral environment.
“We therefore appeal to His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde to carefully consider all aspirants across the federal constituency and allow the process to be guided by merit, popularity, and the clear ability to win the election.
“We respectfully urge Governor Seyi Makinde, who has consistently shown wisdom in leadership and fairness in political decisions, not to be coerced or dictated to, but to choose the best candidate for the job regardless of which local government the person comes from.
“Our request is simple and sincere, which is that the ticket of the party should go to the aspirant who has the widest support among the people and the strongest chance of delivering victory for the Peoples Democratic Party.
“We remain loyal members of the PDP and committed supporters of Governor Seyi Makinde, and we believe that a decision based on merit and electability will strengthen the unity of the party and secure victory in the coming election.”
