Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, has told Oyo State voters that their Governor, Seyi Makinde, will inform them of the preferred presidential candidate to be voted for in the forthcoming election.
The leader of the “Integrity Governors”, stated this on Thursday, during PDP’s Campaign flag-off.
Wike who is one of the five aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said Oyo people should vote for all other candidates of PDP including Makinde while warning other governorship of candidates to withdraw in their own interests.
He said Makinde was the only credible candidate in the race for Oyo governorship seat.
He said: “Let me thank you (referring to the crowd) for making the assurance available in person of a dependable and young man you can trust, a young man you can go home with your two eyes closed, a young man when he tells you Yes, his Yes is Yes, when it tells you No, his No is No and that is why he is one of those (Integrity Group) who believes in fairness, equity and justice.
“I do not want to market a weak product. Do you want to market a weak product (referring to t? You already know Seyi Makinde has done well since you gave him the mandate since 2019. And therefore, the only way can benefit more is for you to allow him to continue the good works he has started.
“Let me use this opportunity and tell all of you (the electorates) if anybody is contesting (for the Oyo guber election) in other parties, today, 5th January 2023, please I’m giving you the final notice, withdraw now.
“The people of Oyo have spoken that it is PDP. Vote for Seyi as governor, vote for House of Reps, vote for House of Assemblies. The other one (presidency), Seyi will talk to you,” Wike said.
Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Samuel Ortom (Benue) have been at loggerheads with the party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar since his emergency as the party’s flag-bearer.
They have insisted that they will not support Atiku unless the party’s Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, steps down for a Southern from South-West to take over, arguing that it would amount to injustice for a Northern to be chairman of the party and another the presidential candidate.
Governorship elections in Oyo State always go down to the wire.
In 2011, the late Abiola Ajimobi defeated incumbent Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala. Ajimobi’s reelection in 2015 made him the only governor so far to serve a second term in the history of the state.
But by 2019, Ajimobi had fallen out with powerful elements in the state and had lost much public support. As a result, he lost his bid to move from the governorship seat to the Senate and candidates of his All Progressives Congress (APC) were routed in many constituencies across the state. His anointed governorship candidate, Adebayo Adelabu, also lost the election.
Although Seyi Makinde who defeated Adelabu in 2019 is seeking reelection, political pundits are saying the governorship poll in the state this year again remains too close to call.
Fifteen political parties have candidates in the election, but it has been billed as a three-horse race, Governor Makinde’s two main challengers are the senator representing the state’s central district and candidate of the APC, Teslim Folarin, and Adelabu who is flying the flag of Accord Party.
