Opposition parties in Oyo adopt PDP guber candidate

Following series of protracted meetings and discussions, leading opposition parties in Oyo State have agreed to adopt and work for the success of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidate at the forthcoming governorship election, Mr Seyi Makinde.

Although the number of the parties involved was not stated, the governorship candidates of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Bolaji Ayorinde said his party as well as some others he didn’t give their names yet have agreed on working for the victory of Makinde.

The meeting which held at the Bodija residence of ex-Governor Rashidi Ladoja till late yesterday night had been inconclusive for days owing to the inability of the opposition parties to finalise talks and agree on modalities of the coalition for the proposed government of unity.

When the talk on proposed coalition started before the Presidential and National Assembly election which held two Saturdays ago, five governorship candidates including Otunba Christopher Alao-Akala (ADP), Senator Olufemi Lanlehin (ADC), Seyi Makinde (PDP), Bolaji Ayorinde (SDP) and Sharafadeen Alli (ZLP) showed interest in forming a coalition to defeat the ruling All Progressive Congress.

Things took a new turn when Alao-Akala backed out of the plan citing his alleged denial of support to run on the strength of the coalition by former Governor Rashidi Ladoja and thereafter declaring support for the APC governorship candidate, Mr Adebayo Adelabu.

However, both the ZLP candidate, Alli and his ADC counterpart, Lanlehin were absent at the final leg of the meeting where Makinde was adopted.

Addressing the press, Ayorinde a legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria noted that the coalition is an open book which gives room for other parties in the opposition to ‘plug in to’.

He said “The interpretation of the smile we are wearing after our meeting is that the state is moving forward, we are very happy with the development. As you can see, Seyi Makinde is here and smiling, I am here smiling and some of our other colleagues are possibly still with their other caucuses and I believe that they are also smiling.

“We are happy because we are working on how to form a coalition government in Oyo State and that is why we are happy. We have agreed to work together for a candidate.

“The outcome of the meeting is that we are moving forward. We, in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), have resolved to work with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State and we shall be supporting Seyi Makinde for governor.”

He also cleared that the opposition parties are not collapsing their structures but only working for the PDP governorship candidate.

“The parties remain the same. They remain the parties that they are, but for the governorship election on Saturday, March 9th, we have all resolved to work for the candidate of the PDP.

“There are so many parties in the state who are willing to join us. So we have an open book and everybody plugging into that book, so it’s a developing story. For now, if I say we are five, by the time we finish talking to you, it may be seven or even eight, so it is every minute that the parties are joining the fold”, he added.

While noting that the governorship candidate of the ADC and ZLP in the coalition are still meeting with the party stakeholders and caucuses, the PDP flag bearer, Makinde said the coalition for a government of unity will only brighten the chances of the masses winning adding that the coming election is going to be a straight fight between godfathers and the masses.