The national executive council of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has said that the ward and local government congresses of the party holds today as scheduled.
The SDP deputy national chairman; Dr Abdul Ahmed Isiaq, said this on Friday, when addressing the party’s members including the state executives and aspirants for the governorship and local government elections at the state’s party secretariat, Olaiya area, in Osogbo, Osun State.
Isiaq, speaking on behalf of the national chairman, Chief Olu Falae, said he reaffirmed this against the speculation that the state congresses would be shifted owing to protests by perceived factional leaders of the party in the state.
According to him, Senator Iyiola Omisore, a former deputy governor of the state, who was in attendance, and two others are known to be governorship aspirants of the party, and none is a favourite until after one of them is elected as the party’s candidate in the governorship primary.
He said what they met in the state during their visit did not match with the petitioners claims alleging irregularity in the registration process and perceived factionalisation of the party in the state.
Isiaq, confirming the state SDP members’ readiness for the congresses, asked if there was any objection to the party’s decision, but they all unanimously agreed that the congresses should go ahead as planned.
“You have made our jobs very easy because we think there are factions, but we can see that you are all together. We don’t want any crisis, we are not barring anyone from registering, everybody is allowed to register.
“We need members, everyone should go out and mobilise for the primaries. We have done it in Ekiti, and it didn’t even take us more than 15 mins in some wards, so, we can perform better in Osun.
We should not see the ward congress as a less important affair because officials must be elected and not appointed, so, it won’t affect the party’s prospects after the September 22 governorship election in the state, which we believe our party is favoured to win,” Isiaq said.
He said as the party is warming up for the governorship primary, every member should be united and should not allow the party to be divided into factions, since the party is preferred against others in the state.
He assured members that whoever emerges the party’s candidate would ride on a white horse to the state house after the governorship election.
Speaking earlier, national organising secretary of the party, Hon Emeka Atuma, said the party is a peaceful party and strategically positioned to win the governorship election, and it should not be broken into pieces as it won’t be in the interest of members.
“We are here to maintain peace in the party. SDP is a winning party, not only in Osun, but in Nigeria, and will take over in the state come September 22 governorship election. We must resist anything that will hinder its actualisation.”
Atuma said, “the agenda of the party is to promote it and win election. Participating in an election and not winning is of no value.
“The purposeful agenda of the party is to contest and win, and at present, the party is known to have three governorship aspirants, but the form for election is extended by a week, so it can avail all the opportunity to participate in the electoral process.
The Osun state steering committee secretary, Mr Taiwo Akeju, in his earlier address to the party’s leadership said, members are ready for the ward and local government congresses, adding that “it is needless to fight, the only fight is for the poll on September 22 to keenly contest with rivals and win the governorship election.”
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