Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke paid a visit to his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde, amid the ongoing crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Adeleke last Friday led a delegation of PDP leaders from Osun State to visit Makinde at the Oyo State Government House Lodge in Abuja.
Recall that Makinde was part of the G5, a group of PDP governors who refused to support and campaign for the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2023 election.
Meanwhile, Adeleke served as the South-West regional coordinator of the PDP campaign after Atiku supported his governorship bid in 2022.
According to SaharaReporters, Adeleke visited Makinde over his interest in who becomes the next National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the party.
A source told the news platform that the visit by the Osun governor to Makinde was unexpected and surprising.
“The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke did the unthinkable last Friday by paying a surprise visit to his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde, at the Oyo State Governor’s lodge in Abuja,” the source said.
Another source added that the visit by Adeleke to Makinde was to solicit his support and endorsement for his candidate to replace the late National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the party, Hon Soji Adagunodo.
He said: “Adeleke visited Makinde to solicit his support and endorsement for his candidate that would replace the late National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the party, Hon Soji Adagunodo. Already, Adeleke has three names close to his chest, out of which one of them would be chosen, so he needs the support of Makinde and other aggrieved members of the PDP.
“Behind closed doors, Adeleke did the unthinkable by going on his knees to beg him for forgiveness. This happened on Friday night at Oyo State Government House lodge in Abuja when Adeleke led a delegation to appeal to the Makinde over his perceived subtle political antagonism against him.
“This, however, is not sitting well with some Atiku loyalists in the state who claimed Adeleke has demeaned his position and at the same, belittled the people of Osun.”
An aggrieved member of the Atiku Campaign Organisation in the South-West said, “This situation happened on Friday night in Abuja when Adeleke in the company with some his commissioners and some party chieftains, begged Makinde to forgive him in whatever way he must have wronged him.
“This is a result of Makinde’s refusal to endorse a zonal PDP meeting slated for Osogbo on Monday, August 7 at the Osun State Government House as put out by his (Adelekes) Commissioner for Commerce, Rev. Bunmi Jenyo.
“It’s raunchy on the part of Ademola Adeleke to have gone to that debasing level if truly he prostrated and begged Makinde profusely as being alleged. Though we don’t have anything personally against Governor Makinde except for his actions during and after the 2023 general elections where he supported an opposition presidential candidate. We, however, feel such a disgraceful attitude is unbecoming of Adeleke, who led the party to the same election in the South-West.”
