Follow Us on Google
Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Four leading opposition political parties in Oyo State, yesterday, finally adopted the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oluseyi Makinde, as consensus candidate for the Saturday’s poll.
The parties in the coalition are the PDP; African Democratic Congress (ADC) that has Senator Olufemi Lanlehin as its governorship candidate; Social Democratic Party (SDP) that has Mr. Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN) as governorship candidate; and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) that fields Alhaji Sarafadeen Alli as governorship candidate.
A former governor of the state, Rashidi Ladoja, who mediated the coalition, is a chieftain or ZLP. Daily Sun gathered that Ladoja will formally address a press conference on the outcome of the meetings held on the coalition as soon as possible.
But another former governor of the state, Adebayo Alao-Akala, who initiated the alliance with a view to forming a government of unity, has dumped the coalition and returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC) last week from the Action Democratic Party (ADP), where he is the governorship candidate, and has resolved, after two meetings with national leadership of the party, to work for the victory of Adebayo Adelabu, the APC governorship candidate.
The agreement on adoption of Makinde was reached during a meeting held at the residence of Ladoja in Bodija, Ibadan on Monday, and the agreement was signed by directors general of the campaign committees of the four political parties.
Meanwhile, Makinde has congratulated the people of Oyo State on his adoption by a coalition of political parties in the state.
A statement from his campaign office signed by Prince Dotun Oyelade said: “Leaders of the parties, led by Ladoja, Lanlehin, Alli and Ayorinde, displayed unsurpassed broadmindedness and political maturity in agreeing to adopt him to face the APC, which is the nemesis of our people.”
Meanwhile, Oyo chapter of the APC has told PDP leaders to steer clear of the state, saying the funds of the state cannot be used to fund PDP.
APC Publicity Secretary, AbdulAzeez Olatunde, said failure of the PDP to win the presidential election has caused its members to go delusional, noting that the allegation that Governor Abiola Ajimobi plans to use fake police and NURTW members to cause unrest is a figment of their imagination and a product of hallucination.
Olatunde said everyone knows that Ajimobi stands for peace and he will not trade it for anything, stressing that Nigerians cannot forget in a hurry the violent years of PDP and the ruins caused by the party which is gradually being salvaged by the APC administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
