OYO State governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, was expectedly absent on Thursday afternoon at the Mapo Hall venue of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign rally in Ibadan, the State capital.
However, major PDP stakeholders in the State attended the rally with key supporters of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, asking party members and supporters in the State to vote Governor Makinde for a second term in office.
The atmosphere at the Ibadan rally was indicative of the fact that Atiku and Makinde may have settled their rift behind the scene in order to forge a common front ahead of the upcoming general elections next month.
As the rally gets underway, those who spoke so far including the Master of the Ceremony, Senator Dino Melaye; director-general of the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council and Sokoto State governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and wife of the presidential candidate, Hajia Amina Titi Atiku Abubakar, among others, said the political differences between Atiku and Makinde have been resolved, calling on all party members and supporters to re-elect Makinde as Oyo State governor in the March 11, 2023 elections.
Recall that Makinde is one of the aggrieved five governors of the PDP otherwise called G-5 or Integrity Group, who are at loggerheads with the party’s national leadership over the continued stay of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu as the national chairman of the PDP since the emergence of Atiku as the presidential candidate.
Oyo State is the first G-5 State where Atiku presidential campaign train has landed and the last South-West State to campaign.
Blame Ayu If Reconciliation Fails – Gov Ortom
Meanwhile, the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, claimed that the Iyorchia Ayu-led Peoples Democratic Party leadership is not sincere in reconciling with the aggrieved governors under the platform.
He also said the party leadership should be held responsible should the reconciliation moves fail. He alleged that the Ayu-led excos were not putting the right measures in place to address the G5 governors’ demand.
Ortom disclosed this in an interview with journalists on Thursday.
“So, no efforts by the leadership of our party have been able to address the issues that we are raising. They have not been able to adopt methods that will pacify and placate the G5. This is not right. So, on the G5, that is where we are.
“Arrogance, impunity, mischief, will not really help matters. One will expect that humility, it is said that you stoop down to conquer even if you want to make it,” Ortom said.
He pointed out that the leadership of the PDP should have been proactive and humble in addressing members’ grievances.
“There are many ways if you have proactive leadership, a leadership that is humble. But when you treat people like they call us that ‘they are children’. I mean, a man of 62, how is he a child? A man at 50, how is he a child? But none of us are less than 40 years. We are leaders in our own right. Our people elected us. You can’t just sit in Abuja and make this kind of a thing.
“We are committed to issues of integrity, issues of fairness, equity, and justice.”
He added, “I think we are on course as far as I’m concerned with our group (G5). As faithful party men, we have given enough time. And we are told that the failed leadership at the national level will take advantage of the opportunity we have given them to address those issues.
“There are many ways of addressing issues even when you are not able to meet the demands of a group or individuals. But when people decide to be arrogant, and mischievous and do things as if the other person does not exist and try to do some things with impunity, as if they have won the election, and they don’t need any other person, it becomes a problem.”