A meeting of People's Democratic Party (PDP) leaders and aspirants in Egbeda/Ona Ara federal constituency ended without selecting a consensus candidate for the 2027 elections. The gathering, held in Ibadan on Monday, brought together 16 party stalwarts and five aspirants—four from Ona Ara and one from Egbeda Local Government Areas. Elder Wole Oyelese, former Minister of Special Duties and former Chairman of Egbeda LGA, presided over the session. Despite efforts, the group failed to reach an agreement, leading to an indefinite adjournment of the meeting.
The exercise followed a directive from Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde for stakeholders to resolve the candidacy issue internally. Failing that, the governor had instructed them to escalate the matter to him by April 15 for resolution. A source confirmed the stalemate and stated that the leadership has now agreed to present the issue to Makinde as planned. "The meeting we had yesterday with the aspirants for Egbeda/Ona-Ara federal constituency ended in a stalemate because we could not agree. Five aspirants came," a participant said. Another noted that no candidate has been picked ahead of the 2027 polls.
Governor Seyi Makinde's intervention on April 15 will likely determine the PDP's candidate in Egbeda/Ona Ara, not grassroots consensus. When party leaders fail to agree and defer to the governor, it signals that internal democracy takes a backseat to executive influence. This sets a precedent where gubernatorial approval matters more than local stakeholder buy-in. For voters in the constituency, the real contest may be less about policy and more about proximity to power.
