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The South West Zone of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed sadness over the decision of the Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, to work against the party's candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the just concluded presidential election.
This is according to the the zonal General Secretary of the party, Ramon Owokoniran, who disclosed that PDP members in the South-West are aggrieved that Makinde campaigned for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at the detriment of his party's flag-bearer.
Owokoniran also claimed that the governor deceived the party as he claimed not to be working against Atiku until he made his real intentions known at the last minute.
He said these in an interview with The Punch, where he also opined that Makinde's action during the presidential election should not be used to determine his faith in the March 18, 2023, governorship election.
Owokoniran's words: “The South-West PDP is not happy with the development that Makinde campaigned for another presidential candidate at the detriment of our candidate. All the while, the governor made us believe that he wasn’t against the candidate.
“So, what eventually played out is that people are not happy and I’m not just talking about the party members but non-party members too; even the anger is more experienced by people outside the party who believed that the decision shouldn’t have taken him that far.
“What transpired in the last election will definitely impact the governorship and state House of Assembly elections but I don’t think it should be enough for us not to deliver the states.”
Pulse reports that Makinde is one of the five aggrieved PDP governors, popularly known as the G-5, who vowed not to support Atiku over claims that power should return to the southern part for the country for equity, fairness, and justice.
Other members of the G-5 include Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), and Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.
The Oyo governor had earlier claimed that the people of the state voted for a candidate from the southern part of the country to support the unwritten principle of power rotation between North and South.