From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Some Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) leaders have said the absence of some of the opposition party’s governors at the grand finale of its Osun State governorship campaign, on Thursday, has nothing to do with the emergence of Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as the PDP 2023 vice presidential candidate.
The Rivers governor, Nyesom Wike, Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, Akwa Ibom governor, Udom Emmanuel, Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, were conspicuously absent at the rally to drum support for the PDP candidate, Ademola Adeleke, ahead of Saturday’s governorship poll.
Some PDP leaders, including some of the governors, had expressed misgivings over the choice of Okowa as the party’s 2023 vice presidential candidate..
However, party sources said some of the governors were either abroad or returned to the country on the day of the rally, hence their absence at the event.
Chief Press Secretary to the Oyo State governor, Taiwo Adisa, in a telephone interview, said it was wrong for anyone to link the absence of some PDP governors from the rally to the Okowa’s emergence as the opposition party’s vice presidential candidate.
Adisa explained that the Oyo State governor could not make it to the rally because he has away in Europe to attend to some crucial issues.
Nevertheless, the noted that the governor directed that sufficient logistics support be provided to the rally particularly regarding the conveyance of all personalities from the Ibadan Airport to Osogbo.
According to him, “apart from all these, the Chief of staff to the Governor led officials of Oyo State to the rally.” So, there is no truth in the speculations linking the absence of Makinde from the Osogbo rally to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s Vice Presidential candidacy”.
Similarly, the immediate past National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiya, said he was aware that Emmanuel would have been in Osogbo but for some unavoidable circumstances.
Ologbondiyan noted that “He (Emmanuel) is equally not at war with the leadership of the party over the matter. His absence from the Osogbo campaign rally was actually due to circumstances beyond his control”.