To the surprise of many, Adeleke last Friday led a delegation of PDP leaders from Osun State to visit Makinde at the Oyo State Government House lodge in Abuja.
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke may have visited his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde over his interest in who becomes the next National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), SaharaReporters has gathered.
To the surprise of many, Adeleke last Friday led a delegation of PDP leaders from Osun State to visit Makinde at the Oyo State Government House lodge in Abuja.
There seemed to have been no love lost between the two governors before and after the governorship elections in the two states.
The crisis may be connected to a tussle over who should be the leader of the party in the South-West.
Makinde was part of the G5, a group of PDP governors who refused to support and campaign for Atiku Abubakar, their party’s candidate in the 2023 presidential election, over calls for the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu as the PDP National Chairman.
Meanwhile, Adeleke served as the South-West regional coordinator of the Atiku campaign.
Bola Tinubu, the serving president and candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress won in Oyo State. He however lost to the PDP candidate, Atiku in Osun State.
“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,” a source told SaharaReporters.
Another source added that the visit by Adeleke to Makinde was to solicit his support and endorsement for his (Adeleke's) candidate to replace the late National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the party, Hon Soji Adagunodo.
Adagunodo who was once the chairman of the PDP in Osun State died in May 2023 after a brief illness in the United States of America.
“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,” the source told SaharaReporters.
“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.”
Another source added, “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,” an aggrieved member of the Atiku campaign organisation in the South-West said.
Meanwhile, there have been issues regarding why the statement for the PDP meeting slated for Monday was issued by the Osun State Commissioner for Commerce, Rev. Jenyo.
Already, this development is said to be generating some ruckus among Adeleke's cabinet members, especially with the Chief of Staff, Kazeem Akinleye, allegedly feeling slighted about some brewing untoward developments.
Some stakeholders and the Zonal Exco of the party in the South-West had also threatened to boycott the meeting, contending that the powers of summoning such a meeting are vested in them.
"As it stands, the meeting called by Ademola Adeleke appears jinxed as stakeholders are really upset by the manner everything is panning out within the party, especially as being orchestrated by Adeleke. Does he have the power to call the zonal meeting of the party? Even if he will be doing that, not through his commissioner but his loyalists who are party excos,” a source said.
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters gathered that the zonal meeting of the PDP called by Adeleke and scheduled to hold today (Monday) has been shifted to Wednesday.
“The meeting will no longer be held on Monday. I just got a message now that Adeleke has moved it to Wednesday. Everything seems to be wrong with PDP in the South-West,” the source added.
Messages sent to Olawale Rasheed, the Osun governor’s spokesperson on Sunday night were not responded to.