…rules self out of succession plan
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has said he was not aware of his reported appointment as the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum.
The appointment of Makinde to head the PDP came about after the Wednesday meeting of the main opposition party’s Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja and a meeting of the National caucus the following day also in Abuja. Ceding the chairmanship position of the Governors Forum to the South was part of the frantic efforts being made by the PDP leadership to seal the widening cracks in the party.
But Governor Makinde Friday claimed ignorance of his appointment, saying that he was not informed by the party’s national leadership and that he got to know about it in the social media.
Makinde, who was in Abia to inaugurate two road projects built by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, his political ally, denied being appointed to head the PDP Governors Forum.
Both Makinde and Ikpeazu are in the camp of PDP Governors led by Governor Nyesom Wike championing the balancing of party positions between North and South as stipulated in the PDP constitution. Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue and his Enugu State counterpart, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi are also members of the Wike camp.
The appointment of Makinde to step into the leadership of the PDP Governors Forum was as a result of the appoitnment of Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto as head of the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign.
However, the Oyo Chief executive has spotted error in his purported appointment, saying that he was not even the right person to take the reins of leadership of PDP body of governors should the chairman resign.
According to him, Governor Ikpeazu in his capacity as the deputy chairman of PDP Governors Forum is the right person to take the place of Tambuwwal.
He alluded sinister motives in bypassing Governor Ikpeazu to give him the baton to lead the PDP Governors Forum, pointing out that the order of succession was not followed.
“Even if they give it to me, I will not accept it because there must be an order. Ikpeazu is the deputy chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum.
“If the chairman resigns, the deputy chairman will take over the position. This is how to have an order in the process,” Makinde said.
The Oyo governor also pointed out that occupying the chairmanship position of PDP Governors Forum “is not what we are fighting for”.
“We are saying that if the PDP has promised to restructure Nigeria and we can’t restructure the party, then we are not ready to restructure Nigeria”.
