Atiku: “It’s Better for Anyone Holding PDP Down to Quit” —Makinde

The Governor of Oyo State, Engr ‘Seyi Makinde of Oyo state, has downplayed the exit of the People’s Democratic Party Presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, declaring that it won’t affect the fortune of the party.

Makinde said this in Akure , the Ondo state capital during an interview with journalists at the 10th anniversary of the rulership of the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi.

Asked to comment on the exit of Alhaji Atiku from the party, the governor said that ” Politics is a game of interest. I don’t think that will make any dent on PDP as a party.

“The Peoples Democratic Party is an institution. We have freedom of entrance and exit. Anyone that will hold PDP down, it is better for such an individual to quit.

On whether the Africa Democratic Congress poses a threat to the People’s Democratic Party, Makinde said that ” l

don’t see ADC as a threat to PDP.

“”The goal is about the same. If you are not happy about the tempo and pace of governance, you are free to associate and see what can be done.

“But one thing we must all realize is that players will come and go, governors will come and go, president will come and go but our state and country will remain.

In his lecture entitled “The Role of Nigeria’s Traditional Institutions in Nation Building: Impediments, Impacts, and Prospects, the governor advocated a constitutional role for traditional rulers.

Makinde said that his administration in Oyo state has taken deliberate steps to integrate traditional institutions into the governance architecture.

According to him, “In Oyo State, we have been having good collaboration with traditional institutions, and we have had great results from such collaborations.

” That is why we are pushing for a constitutional role for them so that they don’t keep floating. They can participate and contribute, and also we can hold them accountable.

“We institutionalised their role in the State Security Council. Our royal fathers are not bystanders. They serve as first responders, sources of local intelligence, and advocates for peace.

The governor added that ” We passed laws to remove ambiguity around succession and throne ascension. The outcome? Fewer legal battles, reduced communal tension, and enhanced legitimacy for our royal fathers.

We need stronger, smarter partnerships—between the old and the new, between the traditional throne and the modern office, and between the oba’s palace and the policies of government

While appreciating the governor, Oba Aladelusi said that the traditional institution had a pivotal role to play in nation-building, hence the need for the country’s constitution to strengthen it.

Oba Aladelusi said that Akure is one without division, commended the state government, as well as the sons and daughters of the town, for their support of the Deji palace.

Meanwhile, one of the discussants at the colloquium, a professor of History in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Adedayo Afe, said that” the law of succession should be entrenched in the nation’s constitution, not just in the state law, to check overbearing tendencies of governors over traditional institutions.

Afe called for the promulgation of a law establishing Paramountcy in Ondo State.

Also, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Ondo State, Kayode Ajulo, SAN, advocated that the constitution should accommodate and recognize culture and traditions.

Ajulo said that the traditional rulers should the funded and trained in conflict resolution.