Many people were surprised when Adeleke led a party of PDP leaders from Osun State to meet Makinde in the Oyo State Government House lodge in Abuja last Friday.
According to The Punch, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke may have visited his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde, to discuss who will be the new National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Many people were surprised when Adeleke led a party of PDP leaders from Osun State to meet Makinde in the Oyo State Government House lodge in Abuja last Friday.
Before and after the governorship elections in the two states, there appeared to be no love lost between the two governors.
The situation could be linked to a squabble about who should lead the party in the South-West.
Makinde was a member of the G5, a group of PDP governors that refused to support and campaign for Atiku Abubakar, their party’s candidate in the 2023 presidential election, in response to calls for the resignation of PDP National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu.
Meanwhile, Adeleke acted as the Atiku campaign’s South-West regional coordinator.
In Oyo State, Bola Tinubu, the incumbent president and candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress, won. In Osun State, however, he was defeated by the PDP’s Atiku Abubakar.
According to another source, Adeleke’s visit to Makinde was to beg his support and endorsement for his (Adeleke’s) nominee to replace the party’s late National Vice Chairman (South-West), Hon Soji Adagunodo.
Adagunodo, the former chairman of the PDP in Osun State, died in May 2023 in the United States of America following a brief illness.
Meanwhile, there have been questions raised over why the Osun State Commissioner for Commerce, Rev. Jenyo, published a statement for the PDP meeting scheduled for Monday.
Already, this scenario is causing consternation among Adeleke’s cabinet members, with the Chief of Staff, Kazeem Akinleye, purportedly feeling slighted by some brewing unsavory occurrences.
Some stakeholders and the South-West Zonal Exco of the party have also vowed to boycott the meeting, claiming that they have the authority to call such a gathering.
Meanwhile, The Punch has learned that Adeleke’s zonal PDP meeting, which was slated for today (Monday), has been rescheduled for Wednesday.
Messages made to Olawale Rasheed, the Osun governor’s spokeswoman, were not returned on Sunday night.
CREDIT: The Punch
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