- Safiu Kehinde
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has on Thursday, thrown a subtle shade at the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as he held that the former Rivers state is not worth responding to.
Makinde stated this while addressing newsmen shortly after the Southern Zoning Consultative Summit of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in Lagos.
Recall that Wike had in May accused Makinde and some other PDP leaders of betrayal and deceit, alleging that they are responsible for the crisis facing the PDP.
However, the Oyo governor who allayed concerns over threats of division within the party took a jab at Wike while dismissing criticisms from some aggrieved members of the party.
“Personally, when people go low or go into the gutters, I don’t go with them. Some people are not going into the gutters. We will reach out to them. That is democracy.
“I can disagree with people, but there shouldn’t be anything personal here. It should be about what we are giving to Nigerians because they are watching,” he stated.
The Oyo governor further noted that the PDP, despite challenges, remained a formidable force as displayed during last week’e by-elections.
“In all our states, they showed last Saturday that PDP is not dead. In most other places of the 12 states, PDP came second. It is an indication to us that if we continue to work hard, we can reclaim the confidence of Nigerians,” he said.
According to reports, the southern zoning meeting had in attendance the Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) Senator Adolphus Wabara, chairman of the party’s National Zoning Committee and Bayelsa state governor, Douye Diri, Governors Ademola Adeleke of Osun state, Peter Mba of Enugu represented by his deputy, Ifeanyi Ossai, former Osun governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Chief Bode George, and Senator Monsurat Sunmonu.
Others include 12 of the 17 PDP National Assembly members and key stakeholders of the party from across the southern states. The summit was aimed at fostering unity and charting the course for the party ahead of the forthcoming party’s national congress.