BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has debunked a report that he visited his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde and begged the latter over his interest in who becomes the next National Vice Chairman (South West) of the People’s Democratic Party.
Recall that the late National Vice Chairman of the party in the zone, Soji Adagunodo, had died in May 2023 after a brief illness in the United States of America.
A media report (not The Point) had claimed that Adeleke, had last Friday led a delegation of PDP leaders from Osun State to visit Makinde at the Oyo State Government House lodge in Abuja where he allegedly prostrated and begged Makinde to support him in producing the leader of the party in the zone.
Dismissing the claim in a statement issued on Monday by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke said he never prostrated or begged Makinde over political affairs in Yoruba land.
The statement clarified that Adeleke only visited the Oyo State Governor’s lodge to see the newly renovated Oyo State Government House as the Osun State Government was embarking on a similar renovation of its Government House located within Asokoro.
It disclosed that the visitation was also an opportunity for both leaders to review the state of relationship and chart a path to strengthen the party within the South West zone including the issue of filling the vacancy existing within the party zonal leadership.
“Our attention has been drawn to a planted fake news about a purported private meeting between Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state. The concocted lies in the said story have no basis in truth as at no point did Governor Adeleke had any private talk with his Oyo state counterpart.
“Governor Adeleke had visited the Oyo State Governor’s lodge to see the newly renovated Oyo State Government House as Osun State government is embarking on similar renovation of Osun Government House located within Asokoro. It was also an opportunity for both leaders to review state of relationship and chart a path to strengthen the People’s Democratic Party within the South West zone including the issue of filling the vacancy existing within the party zonal leadership.
“The interactions were in the open and at no point did the question of begging and prostration arose as there was nothing to plead and beg about. The venue was in the living room with photo opportunity. In the presence of everybody, the two leaders resolved to unite for the party in the zone, hence the need to call an emergency zonal meeting to hold later this week.
“All insinuations about infighting either among Osun Government functionaries or otherwise are the handiwork of those profiting from the lack of substantive leadership for the party in the zone. There is no infighting within Governor Adeleke’s cabinet over the planned meeting nor any disagreement as to when and how to hold the zonal meeting.
“The two Governors will surely feel embarrassed by the fake news as it was targeted at truncating genuine efforts to relaunch the party with a new leadership after recent happenings.
“We therefore urge members of the PDP across the South West to ignore the fake news and focus on making a success of the forthcoming zonal meeting in the best interest of the party,” the statement read in full.
