Governors Ademola Adeleke of Osun, Agbu Kefas of Taraba and Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers have not arrived at the National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party taking place at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Adamasingba, Lagos.
Their absence has fueled concerns within the party, especially as the convention is already overshadowed by conflicting court orders and the wider crisis rocking the PDP.
Although neither Adeleke nor Plateau State governor Caleb Mutfwang has openly announced a decision to leave the PDP, signs emerged on Saturday, November 15, suggesting they may not be participating in the event. Delegates from Osun arrived in Ibadan as early as Friday, November 14, but tension rose when they discovered that Governor Adeleke’s photograph was missing from a massive banner displaying PDP governors at the stadium.
Delegates were said to have been unsettled by the omission, and organisers eventually pulled the banner down as the convention progressed. There was no immediate explanation as to whether the governor’s absence from the banner was an oversight or intentional. There was also no confirmation that delegates from Plateau State were present at the venue.
Interestingly, the image of Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, appeared on the banner even though he had previously hinted that he would not be attending the convention. Despite his photograph being displayed, the seats reserved for the Rivers delegation remained empty before and during the proceedings.
At the moment, only four governors are attending the convention. The earlier banner, titled “PDP Governors,” displayed the pictures of Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi who is also chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, Agbu Kefas of Taraba, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, and the acting national chairman, Umar Damagum.
As of the time of reporting, goodwill messages were still being delivered at the venue, while the main election was yet to commence.
