Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde was conspicuously absent at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign rally in Ibadan, the state capital on Thursday.
His absence also robbed the rally of the usual heavy crowd that normally attends governorship and presidential campaign rallies.
Though the presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and his team members hailed the Governor for allowing the rally to hold, and for mobilizing supporters to attend, the crowd fell heavily short of what is usually experienced at Mapo Hall during the governorship and presidential campaigns.
Crowds of supporters usually fill up to 500-meter radius around the hall while vehicular movements are usually hindered up to about 700 metres.
But Thursday’s crowd only filled the frontage of the hall while residents were going about their normal businesses around the hall.
The rally, which held at the historic Mapo Hall, attracted the national leadership of the party in attendance. The party’s presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and his running mate Governor Ifeanyi Okowa were also joined by Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto); Ademola Adeleke (Osun); Godwin Obaseki (Edo); Douye Diri (Bayelsa) and Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom).
A former vice president Namadi Sambo; former Governors Achike Udenwa (Imo); Liyel Imoke (Cross River); Idris Wada (Kogi) and former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, were also at the campaign.
Makinde’s absence confirmed that the G5 crisis with the national leadership of the party was still firmly rooted, only five weeks to the election.
The Integrity Group (aka G5 Governors), including Makinde, are demanding the resignation of the national chairman Dr Iyorchia Ayu, to allow a southerner take over for the purpose of inclusiveness. They are Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ifeanyi Ugwuayi (Enugu).
Though Atiku and all the party leaders spoke glowingly of Makinde at the event, commending him for giving the rally a favourable space, it was clear that all was not well with the PDP both nationally, and in Oyo State.
The Nation
