Makinde: I won’t go into the gutter with Wike over PDP convention

Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, says he will “go into the gutter” with Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), over the planned national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 

Makinde spoke with journalists in Lagos on Thursday after the PDP southern consultative zoning meeting.

On Wednesday, Wike said he was not invited to the national executive committee (NEC) meeting of the PDP, where the members approved Ibadan, Oyo state capital, as the venue for the national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16.

“I am not aware that they are going to a convention in Ibadan. As an NEC member, I have not been informed, nor have I been invited to the NEC meeting,” Wike said.

However, findings by TheCable showed that the FCT minister was invited to the meeting.

Meanwhile, reacting to Wike’s opposition to the PDP’s planned convention, Makinde said, “Personally, when people go low, or they go into the gutters, I don’t go with them”.

Earlier this month, Wike said the internal wrangling in the PDP would not be over until the party recognises the outcome of the south-south zonal congress held in Calabar, the capital of Cross River.

The south-south zone of the PDP had, on February 22, re-elected Dan Orbih, an ally of Wike, as its chairman.

In March, the PDP NWC disowned the congress and rejected Orbih’s election.

‘WE WILL REACH OUT TO AGGRIEVED MEMBERS’

Earlier on Thursday, some party leaders, including state chairmen of the PDP in the south-east and south-south said they were not invited to the zoning meeting in Lagos.

The PDP leaders described the meeting as secretive and vowed to take all necessary steps to resist the outcome of the meeting.

But Makinde said efforts would be made to reach out to the aggrieved members.

“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, you know. We want to give a PDP,” he said.

Douye Diri, governor of Bayelsa; Adolphus Wabara, chairman of the PDP board of trustees (BoT); Olabode George, former deputy national chairman; and Udom Emmanuel, former governor of Akwa Ibom, attended the Lagos meeting.

Last week, the PDP national working committee (NWC) inaugurated a 44-member zoning committee to allocate the various NWC positions to the geopolitical zones ahead of the convention.