The Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the Southwest has distanced itself from the coalition of opposition political parties, instead of insisting on mapping a strategy to evict the congress of all progressives at all levels of government in the general elections of 2027.
The president of the presidents of the 36 states and the territory of the Federal Capital, Abuja, Hon Femi Olaniyi, popularly known as Ferrari, made this statement at the southwest meeting of the interested parties, held in the Secretariat of the Party in Ibadan, the capital of the state of Oyo, on Saturday.
It is recalled that a coalition of opposition parties in Nigeria had adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its platform for the general elections of 2027.
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This decision came to a meeting that attended the head of the opposition parties, including former vice president Atiku Abubakar; the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labor Party, Peter Obi; former president of the Senate, David Mark; Former Governor of the State of Osun, Rauf Aregbesola; former governor of the state of Kaduna, Nasir el-Rufai; and former transport minister, Rotimi Amachi, among others.
Hon Olaniyi, who also works as president of the Lagos State Party, said: “We have the challenges, progress and coalition at our meeting.
“We have seen how everything is played in our group. So, we need to inform our members, especially our interested parties in the region.
“In the six states of Ondo, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti and Oyo, respectively. We have been asking a series of questions about this so -called coalition, and we just called our people to intinate our resolution not to be part of any coalition at this time.
“We make them understand that any part of the SDP in the region joins the coalition.
“No one can make any decision on this coalition, except the directive of our National Labor Committee (NWC). So, we are still waiting for our NWC to believe its position and everything related to this coalition.
“As is now, there is nothing like the SDP coalition,” he insisted.
This is while dissipating the fear of party members about the various challenges that face them in their respective states, saying: “The NWC has promised to guide us and help each state with membership cards, register and anything else at the appropriate time.”
Hon Olaniyi argued that there is unity between leaders and all interested in the region, since they always speak with a single voice for the progress of the party.
“In 2027, we will rescue Nigeria from the current administration, we will bring a formidable government and show all Nigerians a true and real democracy,” he added.
Also speaking, a current legislator who represents the constituency of Ise-Orun in the Ekiti State Assembly under the SDP, Hon Babatunde Omotayo, also corroborated the president of the party, saying: “We are here to solve some problems. We solve problems and dialogue for the development of our party, SDP.
“The most important thing between what we discussed was how we can continue to be and talk to a voice to advance to the party in the region. Then, the SDP as a political party has no plans to join the so -called coalition,” he said.
The dignitaries at the meeting were all the presidents of the southwest and the critical stakeholders of the part in the area.