How govs’ revolt will affect PDP in Osun gov’ship poll

Eleven governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday stayed away from the inauguration of the Osun Governorship campaign council of the party.

The inauguration took place at the headquarters of the party in zone 5 Abuja.

The party had included 12 of the governors namely Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo) Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Samuel Ortom (Benue) Godwin Obaseki (Edo) Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) and Darius Ishaku (Taraba) as members of the campaign council for the Osun governorship election.

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But at the inauguration of the council on Wednesday, only Ishaku of Taraba accompanied the vice-presidential candidate of the party and Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to the event. 

Some party stakeholders and supporters are already worried that the fate that befell the party in the recent Ekiti governorship election may be repeated in Osun except something is done immediately to remedy the situation. 

In Ekiti, the governorship candidate of the party was said to have been left to his fate. The party did not campaign vigorously as expected or conducted a mega rally to garner its members and voters in the state. 

Analysts say with the governors and critical stakeholders’ lackadaisical attitude, the APC may be coasting to victory in the forthcoming governorship election in Osun State.

They said the feud would not only affect the Osun governorship, but the spiral effect on the presidential election, if the situation is left to fester.

Reacting to the crisis in the party, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, said the PDP will remain united.

On his verified Twitter handle @Atiku, he said, “ We are taking action to address the feelings of all party members. The unity in our community is my priority. Our resolve to unify Nigeria starts in our party and moves to the community, then on to society.

“Every governor, legislator, and other elected officials produced by our party, and party members and loyalists, are much loved and respected by me. When they speak, I listen. I do not only listen, appropriate actions have been taken, are being taken, and will continue to be advanced.”