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Some of the leaders including a former Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Wole Oyelese, spoke in Ibadan on Wednesday at the emergency meeting of the leaders of the party from the 33 local government areas of the state.
They declared their support for Atiku, saying they would not abandon the candidate of their party to back another candidate under any guise.
Makinde had last Saturday during a live radio programme said he and other aggrieved PDP governors would not work for the presidential candidate of the party for some reasons.
His deputy, Bayo Lawal had also said his boss would support Yoruba position during the visit of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to a former leader of the Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, in Akure on Sunday.
Makinde, Nyesom Wike of Rivers; Samuel Ortom of Benue State; IfeanyinUgwuanyi of Enugu, and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia had constantly demanded the resignation of the National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, for a southerner to take over before supporting Atiku.
But speaking on Wednesday, Oyelese said, ” A good politician will not speak like that. It doesn’t mean anything if Makinde says he will not work for Atiku. He is on his own! It is an empty threat! If he said we should not vote for Atiku, who are we voting for? We are too sophisticated for that in Oyo State. Makinde is a new comer in Oyo State politics but we shall continue to work for our party.
“However, we are working for Atiku in a special way. My advice for any politician who wants to win in Oyo State is to come to the mainstream. Mainstream is the leadership of the party in the state.
“What is the position of Yoruba on this matter that Makinde is talking about? We don’t have a position. Pa Fasoranti is saying something and Baba Adebanjo is saying another thing. We are not having a position in Yorubaland. Our members remain steadfast and committed. This is our party and we cannot allow it to breakdown.”
Another PDP leader, Femi Babalola, said the governor is also guilty of the points he raised against the presidential candidate of the PDP.
“He that comes to equity must come with clean hands. As an Engineer, I analyse issues. The first question I asked myself was is it good for a northerner to take over from a northerner?
“Another question is that is it good for an Ibadan man to take over from Ibadan man that spent eight years? So, for Makinde that benefited from such, why is he now antagonising another person? He didn’t see anything that is wrong in that but when it is Atiku, it is wrong,” he added.
