I won’t go into the gutters with anyone, says Makinde
By Jeffrey Agbo
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has stated that he will not engage in political mudslinging, stressing that his priority is strengthening the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and restoring its appeal to Nigerians.
Makinde made this known on Thursday while addressing journalists shortly after the South-West zoning consultative summit of the PDP, held in Lagos.
He said, “Personally, when people go low or go into the gutters, I don’t go with them. Some people are now going into the gutters. We will reach out to them. That is democracy.
“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.”
The governor maintained that recent elections proved the PDP’s relevance across the country despite internal challenges.
“In all our states, they showed last Saturday that PDP is not dead. In most other places of the 12 states, PDP came second. It is an indication to us that if we continue to work hard, we can reclaim the confidence of Nigerians,” he said.
On the issue of zoning the PDP’s presidential ticket, Makinde noted that discussions had not yet reached that stage.
“We haven’t even gotten there. We need to have a party first before you start talking about presidential candidates. If we don’t have a party, anything you are trying to do will fall flat.
“Our efforts right now are directed towards having a vibrant and united PDP that Nigerians will be proud of and believe in again,” he said.
The meeting was attended by top party leaders, including the Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees, Adolphus Wabara; Chairman of the National Zoning Committee and Bayelsa Governor, Douye Diri; Governors Ademola Adeleke of Osun and Peter Mbah of Enugu (represented by Deputy Governor Ifeanyi Ossai); former Osun Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Bode George; Monsurat Sunmonu; 12 of the 17 PDP National Assembly members; and other key stakeholders from southern states.
