STATE governors including Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo) were absent at the inauguration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Campaign Council for the Osun State governorship election.
Other PDP governors, such as chairman of the campaign council Diri Douye (Bayelsa), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) Godwin Obaseki (Edo) Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom) and Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa) were equally absent.
The 11 governors are part of the 128-man PDP National Campaign Council for the July 16 Osun governorship poll.
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The ICIR understands that some of them are currently out of the country.
The party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, expressed optimism that with the calibre of people in the campaign council, the opposition party would win the governorship poll.
He also said the success of the party in the July 16 gubernatorial election was critical to its campaign for the 2023 presidential poll.
Ayu, who was represented by the party’s National Deputy Chairman (North) Umoru Damagun, said the mandate of the council was to win the poll.
“Your sole mandate is to go to Osun State and win the election for us, Osun is key to our presidential election,” he said.
“And I believe with the caliber of people that have been selected to steer this campaign organisation, I have no doubt that you will give us the desired result.
“I also want to advise you to use that opportunity to engage the stakeholders in Osun, go to every corner, we have a very popular candidate in Osun and we have no reason not to win the election.”
Delta State Governor and the party’s 2023 Vice-Presidential Candidate Ifeanyi Okowa, who attended the event, alongside his Taraba State counterpart, Darius Ishaku, said there was a need for leaders to remain committed to the cause of the party.
Okowa noted that there was so much to be done by the PDP in Osun State and urged members of the campaign council to go all out and deliver the governorship seat.
“Osun state obviously is a PDP state. We have great leaders who have a very clear understanding of the politics in that states. I want to urge all our leaders and our followers in the state to please quickly bridge the gaps of the divide that is amongst us because victory stares us right in the face, God has gone ahead of us. It is for us to follow the wish of God and deliver the state to the PDP.
“There is a lot of work to be done. It is not a fun fare, And I believe that the membership of the campaign counselors inaugurated today are capable enough to truly go out there to deliver the state to the PDP.
“From the information that we have, the APC is already in disarray in the state but that is not enough for us to go to sleep,” he said.
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