Oyo: Former ZLP Members Accuse Makinde of Abandonment After Re-Election Victory

Former members of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in Oyo State have voiced strong accusations against Governor Seyi Makinde, alleging abandonment following their pivotal role in his second-term victory.

On February 17, 2021, the ZLP dissolved its structures across the state’s 33 local governments to merge with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and back Makinde’s administration.

The integration into the PDP was accompanied by assurances of complete incorporation, prompting the former ZLP members to work diligently for the governor’s re-election campaign up until the governorship election held on February 18, 2023.

However, during a stakeholders’ meeting in Ibadan on Wednesday, the group expressed profound disillusionment over the governor’s failure to fulfill his promises.

Comrade Wole Abisoye, the group’s leader, stated, “The Governor assured me, just a day after his re-election, that the ZLP members would be rewarded for their efforts.”

Abisoye further disclosed that despite appeals from former President Olusegun Obasanjo and ex-Oyo State Governor Rashidi Ladoja on their behalf, there has been no favourable response from the governor.

The erstwhile ZLP members, who continue to be a significant faction within the PDP in Oyo State, have now resolved to leave the issue to divine intervention.

Despite their dissatisfaction with what they describe as Makinde’s “use and dump” approach, Abisoye emphasized the group’s ongoing support for the governor’s initiatives to transform Oyo State into an economic development hub.