The governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde, was on Saturday, February 18, adopted by the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Oyo State Chapter, as its governorship candidate in the forthcoming elections.
Engr. Seyi Makinde is seeking a second term in office on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (SDP) as its gubernatorial candidate.
declaring their support for the governor, leaders and members of the party cited his antecedents in office as governor of the state.
The SDP also made known its decision to adopt all PDP candidates at both the national and state levels, as well as the two-term governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Bola Tinubu, who is the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) as its presidential candidate at the forthcoming general elections.
Briefing journalists shortly after the meeting where SDP members in the state raised motions and unanimously adopted Governor Makinde Makinde, the National Deputy Secretary of the party, Engr. Adewole Adesina, who is also the highest national officer of party in the state, hinted that the party at the national level is currently battling with internal crisis.
According to Engr Adesina, “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 approach 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.
“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 election.”
In his remarks, the gubernatorial candidate of SDP in 2019, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN maintained that Governor Seyi Makinde deserves second term in office because of his performances since he assumed office as the executive governor of the state.
Ayorinde said: “Since 2019, SDP has been giving 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 declare that support for him. That is what we have 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.
“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 embacked upon.”
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting held at Samonda, Ibadan, the state chairman of the party Alhaji Kola Balogun confirmed that all the state executive of SDP, as well as all local govt delegates from all the 33 Local Government Areas of the state, including the stakeholders, jointly adopted Engr. Seyi Makinde and all the PDP candidates in the state as SDP candidates.
