South West PDP leaders convene Over Ondo election

South-West leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) met on Monday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to strategise ahead of the November governorship election in Ondo State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting, hosted by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, was held at the Presidential Lodge, Government House, Agodi, Ibadan.

Addressing journalists at the end of the meeting, Mr Makinde said the party leaders’ convergence opened up the process of reconciling PDP tendencies in Ondo State.

He noted that the PDP family had begun to speak with one voice.

According to him, the party’s governorship candidate in the November election in Ondo State, Agboola Ajayi, and others will team up to ensure the party excel at the election.

The governor said all PDP leaders and stakeholders from across the six South-West states were behind Mr Ajayi.

He expressed optimism that the party candidate would reclaim Ondo State from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“With our leaders from across the South-West standing behind our candidate in Ondo State, I think it is a strong signal to the present occupier of the Ondo State Government House that PDP is coming and it will happen.

“Our candidate, Mr Agboola Ajayi, is here and the first step forward for us is to reconcile all the tendencies in Ondo State.

“This is because once we have a unified PDP in Ondo State, we have a path to the Alagbaka Government House, Akure,” he said.

Giving details of the meeting, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State told journalists that the South-west PDP came together to deliberate on the affairs of the party regarding the forthcoming election in Ondo State.

Mr Adeleke said the leaders congratulated Mr Ajayi for winning the party primary in a transparent process that showed the PDP was a democratic party that followed due process.

“We also began the reconciliation process, because we know some people are upset and we believe our leaders will go back home to bring everybody together,” he said.

Thereafter, Mr Ajayi thanked Mr Makinde and Mr Adeleke as well as other PDP leaders for their support ahead of the election.

According to him, the party is formidable in Ondo State as all members of one family are working to deliver the state to the PDP fold in November.

Among the PDP leaders who attended the meeting were former governors of Osun and Ondo states, Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Olusegun Mimiko, respectively.

The 2023 PDP governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu; a former PDP governorship candidate in Ondo State, Eyitayo Jegede; and former Deputy National Chairman of the party, C Olabode George, also attended the meeting.

PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Amb. Taofeek Arapaja; and the party South-West Chairman, Kamoru Ajisafe, were also in attendance.

Currently, the PDP is in power in two out of the six states in the region. The two stat3s under PDP’s control are Oyo and Osun. The rest of Ogun, Ondo, Lagos and Etiki are bring governed by All Progressives Congress governors.

(NAN)