The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly criticised Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, over his reference to the historic “Operation Wetie” violence during a recent opposition political summit, describing his comments as provocative and inappropriate.
Makinde, speaking at the National Summit of Opposition Political Party Leaders, had warned against the dangers of Nigeria drifting into a one-party state. In doing so, he invoked the memory of the “Operation Wetie” crisis that engulfed the South-West in the 1960s, particularly Ibadan.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, condemned the governor’s remarks, calling them “disgraceful” and unbecoming of a sitting governor.
“So, for a sitting governor, who constitutionally is actually the chief security officer of Oyo State, to bandy around this threat, that is really disgraceful. I think Governor Makinde should be ashamed of himself, quite frankly, because it’s wrong for him to do that,” Morka said on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
He further argued that leaders have a duty to exercise restraint in public statements:
“People in leadership bear exceptional responsibility to speak with restraint, with decorum, and with some sensibility. You don’t sit there as governor… and incite people who are beneath you to violence. That is not democratic. That is completely anti-democratic.”
“Operation Wetie,” a Yoruba phrase meaning “wet him,” refers to a period of intense political violence in the Western Region following the disputed 1965 elections, during which opponents’ homes and properties were allegedly set ablaze.
At the summit, Makinde warned:
“For those that are carrying on as if there’s no tomorrow. They should remember that ‘Operation Wetie’ started from here. This is the same Wild Wild West.”
ADC Defends Makinde, Calls Statement a Warning Signal
However, an African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Ladan Salihu, defended the governor’s remarks, insisting they were meant as a caution rather than an incitement.
He said Makinde’s comments should be understood within Nigeria’s current political and economic climate.
“What Governor Makinde just did was to drop a warning. When you take the historical perspective of ‘Operation Wetie’ and contextualise it with what is happening today, there are salient signs. There are danger signals that will make you want to pray and hope that we are not on that path,” Salihu said.
He added that the country is already showing worrying signs that require urgent attention from the federal government:
“We are on the amber light; we are approaching the danger signals. What he is saying, in essence, is to make sure the APC government and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sober up and reflect on the future of Nigeria—on insecurity, a terrible economy, misgovernance, and what have you.”
According to him, Makinde’s statement was “a wake-up call” aimed at preventing a repeat of past political instability rather than a call for violence.
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