Laolu Elijah, Ibadan
The leadership of the Social Democratic Party, SDP in the South West has said it is not aware that the motive of the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Malam Nasir El-Rufai to join the party is to win the presidential ticket in 2027 general election.
The zonal leader of the party,
Hon Mulikat Adeola Akande disclosed this on Saturday during the iftar she organised for all members of the party in the 11 local government councils within Ibadan city.
Distancing the South West zonal leadership from the opposition mounted against the former Governor of Kaduna State in his state, she said nobody should be discouraged from joining the party because politics is a game of numbers.
She further said that no one should defect to the party with the aim of hijacking it from the original members who have braced all odds to remain in the party.
According to her, “Politics is a game of number and anybody who wants to come into SDP is welcome as long as they are ready to play by the rules of the party and not with the mind of taking the party from those who are there before”.
“As the leader of the SDP in the South West, I’m not aware that the intention of the former Governor to join the party is to get the party’s presidential ticket.”
She assured members of the party that tested and trusted candidates will be presented for elective positions in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Hon Adeola who represented Ogbomoso North/South and Oriire Federal Constituency between 2007 and 2015 on the platform of the PDP explained that she called it quits with the party when she was openly betrayed.
“I ran for Senate and we worked for the present governor of the State, Governor Seyi Makinde. While we were working for him, he was working against me, it was something I have never seen before, it was a total betrayal.” She lamented.
Flanked by Michael Ogunlade Oyo State Chairman of the party and Akintola Ezekiel, Director of National Mobilisation and Strategy of the Presidential Candidate of the Action Alliance in the 2023 general elections, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd) gingered members of the party to get registered in their various wards and collect their voter’s cards.
“You don’t just sit down and say you want to win election and then go and bring out anybody. We must have the right candidates, somebody tested and trusted,who has integrity that when people hears his name they can rely on him. Someone who is dependable and reliable; who will work for the people and not for himself. Those are the qualities we are looking for.” She said.
Earlier, Barrister Michael Ogunlade welcomed scores of new party members who defected from Action Alliance and other parties to SDP promising a level playing ground for all members.
Okunlade stated that the iftar was organized to bring members together in the spirit of Ramadan and to discuss how to move the party forward noting that similar exercise had been organized in other zones of the state.
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