{"id":291,"date":"2026-03-15T07:03:34","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T07:03:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyopenews.com\/?p=291"},"modified":"2026-03-15T07:04:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T07:04:26","slug":"pdp-power-play-as-akinoso-emerges-factional-chairman-in-oyo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyopenews.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/15\/pdp-power-play-as-akinoso-emerges-factional-chairman-in-oyo\/","title":{"rendered":"PDP: Power play as Akinoso emerges factional chairman in Oyo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Following Nigeria\u2019s ever-shifting party politics and the quiet but persistent struggle for influence within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a new figure has stepped into the spotlight in Oyo State. Prof. Abdulrahman Akinoso.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is an academic from the Department of Food Technology at the University of Ibadan, who has emerged as chairman of a faction of the party aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The development that reflects the continuing realignments within the PDP as political actors begin to position themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Akinoso was elected during a congress held at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium at the weekend, where 38 other executive members also emerged to steer the affairs of the faction in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The congress attracted party stakeholders and was attended by representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the police and other security agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other officials elected at the congress include Dr. Abiola Olaonipekun as Secretary, Alhaja Latifah Latifu as Woman Leader and Mr A. Adeleke as Youth Leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The election was supervised by an electoral committee chaired by Prince Diran Odeyemi. Other members of the committee were Hon. Awoniyi Tolulope, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, Queen Stepheine Oyechere, Alhaji Yusuf Abidakun and Mr Olumide Aguda, while Dr Phillips Adeniyi served as Secretary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Akinoso\u2019s emergence, as gathered, revealed the lingering divisions within the PDP in Oyo State, where competing tendencies have continued to shape the party\u2019s internal structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It was further gathered that the formation of parallel factions loyal to different national power blocs reflects broader struggles within the party since the aftermath of the 2023 elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Political observers noted that the alignment with Wike, who is a powerful figure within the PDP despite his role in the Federal Government, suggests that the Oyo PDP faction is positioning itself within a national network of loyalists, seeking to maintain relevance in the party\u2019s internal negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another striking dimension of Akinoso\u2019s emergence is his academic background. As a professor at the University of Ibadan, he represents a technocratic face within the political structure of the party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Nigerian politics has historically been dominated by career politicians and grassroots mobilisers, the entry of academics into party leadership roles is sometimes viewed as an attempt to inject intellectual discipline and organisational structure into party administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether that background translates into political effectiveness, however, will depend on his ability to navigate the realities of party politics, where loyalty, negotiation and grassroots mobilisation often determine success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his inaugural remarks, Akinoso made it clear that the faction\u2019s immediate focus is the 2027 general elections. He urged party members to set aside internal differences and concentrate on strengthening the party through unity and membership mobilisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also emphasised the importance of the party\u2019s upcoming e-membership registration exercise, which is expected to expand the PDP\u2019s grassroots base across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur immediate assignments are to key into INEC\u2019s release of the 2027 general election timetable,\u201d he said,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the party must undertake an aggressive membership drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stakeholders have a, however, noted, that for the Wike-aligned bloc in Oyo State, Akinoso\u2019s leadership would serve as a test of organisational strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The faction will need to demonstrate its capacity to mobilise supporters, expand party structures and maintain political relevance within the broader PDP framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

” Ultimately, the significance of the congress may lie less in the election itself than in what it represents, which is an ongoing struggle for influence within one of Nigeria\u2019s major political parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Do not forget that the other faction of PDP is loyal to Governor Seyi Makinde, who is the incumbent governor of Oyo State. But let’s sit down and see how far the ongoing reconciliation moves with the party could go,” one of the stakeholders said.
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Following Nigeria\u2019s ever-shifting party politics and the quiet but persistent struggle for influence within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a new figure has stepped into the spotlight in Oyo State. Prof. Abdulrahman Akinoso. He is an academic from the Department of Food Technology at the University of Ibadan, who has emerged as chairman of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyopenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyopenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyopenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyopenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyopenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=291"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dailyopenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":295,"href":"https:\/\/dailyopenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291\/revisions\/295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyopenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyopenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyopenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}