The Peoples Democratic Party has cleared the air on the claims of conflict in the party following refusal of about 11 governor to show up at its inauguration of the Osun State governorship election campaign council on Wednesday,
The party has, however, refuted reports of crisis in its fold, noting that the governor didn’t grace the event because they had other important engagements or were out of the country.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, made this known in an interview with PUNCH on the issue.
He faulted reports that the governors boycotted the inauguration.
Ologunagba said, “The governors sent in their apologies that they were not able to come; a lot of them were outside the country. The governors of Oyo and Sokoto states were outside the country and because of the exigency of the time, they could not attend.
“It will be a mixed characterisation to say they boycotted the event; there was no boycott. We are a party that is united and we are doing our things together.”
Meanwhile, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Taiwo Adisa, noted that the governor could not attend because he was out of the country.
“The governor is out of the country to attend an Agribusiness Investment Forum in Israel,” he added.
Also, one of the aides of Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, Kabiru Aliyu, told Saturday PUNCH that the governor was in Germany and could not attend the event.
He faulted claims that Tambuwal’s absence was due to some disagreements in the party.
Aliyu, who is the Special Adviser to the governor on Sustainable Development Goals, said, “What happened in the party is a minor disagreement, as everyone wants to benefit from the process, but I can assure you that everything is gradually coming to a logical conclusion.