Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have paid a condolence visit to Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde over the death of his elder brother, Sunday Makinde.
Sunday died in the early hours of Friday during a brief illness at the age of 65.
The Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, Gov. Bala Mohammed, led his colleagues on the condolence visit to Makinde in his private residence at Agodi GRA, Ibadan.
The Bauchi State Governor described Makinde’s brother as a man who lived a fulfilled life and expressed the forum’s heartfelt sympathy to his Oyo colleague.
He assured Makinde of the forum’s solidarity during this difficult period.
“We are here on behalf of the PDP Governors’ Forum to commiserate with you over the loss of your senior brother. Though we have spoken on the phone, we have to come to see you directly to show solidarity,” Mohammed said.
“We know this loss is huge and we know you to be a strong character. We know we are all here temporarily and would all go back to our creator.
“You should be consoled that this man came and contributed his own quota to the growth and development of Nigeria, which has even been testified to by your emergence as a governor.
“You have personally worked hard without going through the problem of godfatherism and you have become an indefatigable governor, who is in the PDP and has been doing very well.
“So, on behalf of my colleagues, we condole with you and the family and we pray that God will grant you the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”
In his response, Makinde acknowledged the emotional and moral encouragement provided by his colleagues, thanking them for their prayers and support.
“I want to, on behalf of the entire Makinde family, thank you for this visit. Thank you all for identifying with us at this very hour of need,” he said.
“We thought our eldest brother was just about to start life, because he was just 65. We thought after going all over the world, this is the time for him to settle down, but we cannot question God. We have to accept what has happened, because God giveth and taketh without needing any form of validation from anybody.
“It is also painful for us because it was quite sudden. This visit means a lot to us, especially the presence of my brother, Governor Sim Fubara, because we have been on different sides of the spectrum politically. But politics was put aside.
“I want to also, on behalf of the people and government of Oyo State, say thank you for the visit. Our prayer is that we won’t use this kind of visit as a payback.
“We pray that in our various families, people will grow old before they are called to the world beyond. So, thank you.”
