Date: 2014-07-06

Some key stakeholders in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State were conspicuously absent yesterday at the retreat organised by the party in Ilorin, the state capital.

The retreat with the theme, “A New Dawn for the Development of Kwara State” was attended by party members, loyalists and supporters.

A PDP stakeholder and associate of First Lady Patience Jonathan, Hajia Muinat Bola Shagaya, who was billed to be lady chairperson was absent at the event chaired by the former Deputy Governor, Elder Joel Ogundeji.

Others who neither attended nor represented at the programme were the chairman, Federal Character Commission (FCC), Professor Shuaib Oba Abdulraheem; a former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the last election in the state, Mr Dele Belgore, the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Suleiman Makanjuola Ajadi; Senator Simon Ajibola and Senator Gbemisola Saraki.

No reason was given for their absence. But a top party official told Sunday Trust said it might not be unconnected with travel logistics from Abuja, following the shutdown of the airport.

When contacted, the PDP spokesman, Chief Rex Olawoye said their absence was not as a result of any division but they were not the targeted audience. He added that all the stakeholders who met a day before in Abuja contributed in one way or the other to the retreat.

He said, “This particular retreat is not targeted at them. Our target audience are just the ward chairmen across the state, about 193 of them. We also picked six people across the local governments....”