By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
With few days to the Presidential election, a faction of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Oyo State on Saturday, adopted the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as its candidate for the February 25 election.
Also, the SDP faction adopted Governor Seyi Makinde and all the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidates across Oyo State for February 25 and March 11 elections as candidates for the two elections.
The SDP National Deputy Secretary, Engr. Adewole Adeshina made this known, while briefing newsmen shortly after the party’s meeting held at Samonda area of Ibadan.
According to Engineer Adeshina, the adoption of the APC Presidential candidate Asiwaju Tinubu and Governor Makinde followed what he described as the prolonged internal crisis rocking SDP at the national level, saying, ” we are having a case which is at the court at the national level, and this has been on for about three to four years now and it is just coming to an end because we are having the next hearing by 24th of February.”
” There are two factions in the party and I belonged to the main faction because we are the plaintiff in the court. We must take a decision because of our teeming supporters that are asking for directions most especially as we approaches election days, we must look around and see who fits into the agenda of SDP, and that is why today we have adopted Engr. Seyi Makinde who incidentally was our candidate”, he said
Engineer Adeshina added ” I’m happy to say that I was opportuned to have introduced Governor Makinde into the SDP in 2014 where he contested under the party platform in 2015, and people decided that they want to have presidential candidate of their own and they have adopted Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and that is what we have come to do here today.”
” Those of us that are here today are the real founding fathers of SDP, and we have said this is our choice and that is our position for now as we approach general elections.”
Another SDP leader in Oyo state and the party’s gubernatorial candidates in 2019, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN) while speaking said Governor Makinde deserve second term in office considering his performances in office, adding, “SDP has since 2019 been given support to the state governor Engr. Seyi Makinde and that support has not stopped, so today the leaders of the party thought it wise that we publicly declared that support for him, so that is what we’ve come to do here today.”
“Like I have always said, there can be only one governor at a time, if I cannot fulfill my ambition to be governor in 2019 and the person that fulfilled that ambition with my support does the thing that I would have wished to do for my people, then I think I should keep supporting him. What Seyi Makinde administration is doing in Oyo state are things that I would have loved to do for my people if I’m a governor”, he said
Chief Ayorinde added ” there can only be one governor at a time, so if he is there and he’s doing the right thing, I think the best thing for us is to support him, and we should give him another chance to complete all the projects he has embarked upon.”
In a communique issued at the end of the meeting, signed by the Oyo state Chairman of the party, Alhaji Kola Balogun, the party affirmed that all the state executives of SDP, as well as all local govt delegates from all the 33 LGAs of the state, including the stakeholders jointly make the declaration of adopting Engr. Seyi Makinde and all the PDP candidates in the state as SDP candidates.
