Oyo PDP Leaders Attack Makinde Over Atiku

 

Some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State have called out Governor Seyi Makinde.

 

This comes after the Governor declared that he will not support the presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

 

They spoke in Ibadan on Wednesday at the emergency meeting of the leaders of the party from the 33 local government areas of the state.

 

They declared their support for Atiku, who Makinde and four other PDP governors are working against.

 

Makinde had on Saturday during a live radio programme said he and other aggrieved PDP governors would not work for the presidential candidate of the party for some reasons.

 

The five governors have not hidden their position and they had vowed not to work for Atiku except for the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr Iyorchia Ayu resigned from office for a southerner to occupy the office.

 

One of the PDP leaders, a former Minister of Mines and Steel Development,  Dr Wole Oyelese,  said Makinde was not speaking for the party in the state but speaking for himself.

 

He said PDP leaders would work and deliver the state for the presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in 2023.

 

Oyelese said, “A good politician will not speak like that. It doesn’t mean anything if  Makinde says he will not work for Atiku. He is on his own! It is an empty threat! If he said we should not vote for Atiku, who are we voting for? We are too sophisticated for that in Oyo state. Makinde is a newcomer in Oyo State politics but we shall continue to work for our party.

 

Another PDP leader, Femi Babalola said the governor is also guilty of the points he raised against the presidential candidate of the PDP.

“Another question is, is it good for an Ibadan man to take over from Ibadan man that spent eight years? So, for Makinde that benefited from such, why is he now antagonising another person? He didn’t see anything that is wrong in that but when it is Atiku, it is wrong,” he added.

 

Responding to an inquiry by our correspondent, the Chief Press Secretary to Oyo State Governor, Taiwo Adisa, said Makinde and the other aggrieved governors had never said they would campaign for any other presidential candidate.

 

He said, “Governor Makinde,  and his colleagues including Governors Nyesom Wike, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Samuel  Ortom, and Okezie Ikpeazu have consistently said they will concentrate their campaigns on the PDP candidates in their states if the PDP system will not do the needful on the issue concerning the national Chairman.

 

Also, the PDP Publicity Secretary in Oyo State, Mr Akeem Olatunji, said in a separate interview with our correspondent that Makinde had never started campaigning for the candidate of another party.

 

He said, “Governor Seyi Makinde has said it at different fora that all PDP candidates would win in Oyo State. What else does anybody wants again?