The Nation Newspaper

Tag: SDP

  • APC sweeps Benue LGC seats

    APC sweeps Benue LGC seats

    The Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) announced on Sunday that the All Progressive Congress (APC), had won all the 23 local government chairmanship seats in the elections held on Saturday.

    It also announced that the party won all the councillorship positions, with some of the candidates returned unopposed.

    BSIEC chairman John Tsuwa who declared the results in Makurdi, however, declined to release details of votes scored by the candidates.

    “The figures are not ready. I will not entertain questions because this is not a press conference,,” he told curious newsmen.

    Tsuwa said that eight political parties participated in the exercise and listed them to include Accord Party, APC, PDP, SDP, ACB, PPP, LP and NNPP.

    He thanked security agencies for ensuring a smooth conduct of the elections, and expressed happiness that no case of violence or snatching of ballot box was reported throughout the exercise.

  • Lagos bye-election: Parties sign peace agreement

    Lagos bye-election: Parties sign peace agreement

    Ahead of Saturday`s Federal House of Representatives by-election into Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency, some political parties in Lagos State on Friday signed a peace agreement

    The parties signed the agreement in Lagos at a meeting with Mr Fatai Owoseni, the State`s Commissioner of Police and INEC officials.

    The parties included APC, PDP, SDP and ADC, while AA and AD had no representatives.

    ”The main reason for this meeting is for stakeholders to have understanding on the need for a peaceful election; it is an opportunity for candidates to sign an undertaking for a peaceful exercise, ’’Owoseni said.

    He said that security officers drawn from the Police, Military, Civil Defence Corps and the Directorate of State Security (DSS) would be deployed to ensure the security of lives and properties during the election.

    The police commissioner said that there would be restriction of movement in the constituency between 12 midnight on Friday and the period of the election.

    Owoseni warned candidates and their supporters against violence, and told trouble-makers to stay away from areas where elections would be held.

    ”Political office holders are warned from moving freely with their security aides during the election. No vehicle is permitted to go close to any polling booth.

    ”The accreditation and voting will commence same time, anyone with observation should reach the officials and not to take laws into his hands.

    “As candidates and leaders to be, you must be able to control your supporters and agents to be of good behaviour,” he said.

    The INEC supervising officer for the South-West, Chief Shoyebi Adedeji, said that all sensitive materials had been distributed to all the wards in the state.

    Adedeji said Lagos State was the least volatile state in the country, stressing that INEC was expecting to see this on Saturday.

    It would be recalled that the former representative of Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency, Mr Adewale Elijah, slumped and died in his house in Abuja in July.

  • SDP launches campaign today

    SDP launches campaign today

    The Social Democratic Party (SDP) will launch its campaign for the November 26 governorship election today in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

    The State Chairman, Korede Duyile, said the ceremony will attract top party officials, including the national chairman, Chief Olu Falae.

    Duyile said the event will hold at the Democracy Park in Akure, the State Capital and it will be colourful.

    The event will feature official hand-over of the SDP flag to the party’s candidate,  Dr. Olu Agunloye, and his running mate, Erelu Modupe Akindele Martins.

    The SDP chairman, who is also the chairman of the organising committee, described SDP as the best party with programmes targeted at the needs and aspirations of the people.

    He said parties’ internal problems cannot alter the election time-table.

  • SDP constitutes committees

    SDP constitutes committees

    The Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Korede Duyile, yesterday inaugurated eight campaign committees.

    The committees include Campaign Advisory Council, Media and Publicity, Union and Artisan, Security, Women Affairs, Youth and Mobilisation Committees.

    He urged all the committee members to mobilise the people to vote for Dr. Olu Agunloye.

    Duyile told them that Agunloye would “give the net and hook to fish, unlike others that will give fish”.

    He described Agunloye as a man of greater integrity and honour with the fear of God worthy of ruling the state to salvage the already battered economy.

  • Why people are yearning for SDP, by Agunloye

    Why people are yearning for SDP, by Agunloye

    The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Olu Agunloye, has described the support enjoyed by the party as a sign of people’s yearning for good governance.

    He said the popular support from the people was encouraging and impressive.

    Agunloye enjoined the people to translate the love they have for the party into votes, as the SDP was ahead of others still struggling to put their houses and structures in order.

    Speaking to supporters at the Agunloye Campaign Organisation Office in Akure, the SDP candidate said the party demonstrated the value of leadership, internal democracy, tolerance, human management and political maturity with the peace that permeate its campaign and political action daily.

    According to him, SDP is forging ahead in its grassroots mobilisation.

    Agunloye encouraged the people to pray fervently to achieve the task ahead and transform the state’s economy.

    He reminded the people that their vote is the power to reject poor governance and ineffective leadership, which brought along abject poverty to the people.

    The SDP candidate promised that the people’s vote will count and warned against accepting any inducement.

    He advised the supporters to remain active and vote for SDP on November 26.

    Agunloye’s running mate Erelu Modupe Akindele Martins thanked the people for their support and determination to vote for SDP.

    Erelu Martins said women empowerment and prompt payment of workers would be prioritised when SDP is voted into power.

  • 30 political parties to participate in Ondo guber poll

    30 political parties to participate in Ondo guber poll

    The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) Tuesday announced that thirty political parties will participate in the November 26, governorship election in Ondo State.

    It also informed that it has put in another arrangement to ensure smooth accreditation and voting process during the poll.

    This it said would reduce the rigorous process being experienced by the commission during the poll.

    The state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Olusegun Agbaje disclosed at a press conference held in Akure, the state capital.

    Agbaje said all parties intended to participate in the contest have concluded their primaries as at on Monday.

    The REC listed the parties as Alliance for Democracy, (AD), Social Democratic Party,( SDP), People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), African People Alliance, (APA), Peoples Redemption Party, (PRP), All Progressives Congress, (APC) and Labour Party,( LP).

    It also include Citizens Popular Party,( CPP), People’s Party of Nigeria, (PPN) ,Democratic People’s Party, (DPP), Democratic People’s Congress, (DPC), New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP), Hope Democratic Party,( HDP), National Unity Party, (NUP), and Better Nigeria Progressive Party,( BNPP).

    Others were: Young Democratic Party, (YDP), Accord Party, (AP), All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA), Progressive Peoples Alliance, (PPA), African Democratic Congress, (ADC), Action Alliance,( AA) , Unity of Nigeria (UPN), KOWA Party, (KP), People for Democratic Change (PDC), Independent Democrats, (ID), Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), National Conscience Party, (NCP, United Democratic Party,(UDP), United Progressive Party,( UPP) and Advanced Congress of Democrats, (ACD).

    Agbaje who appreciated the peaceful conduct of political parties during their primaries, noted that the standard of the conduct exhibited will benefit the deepening of democracy in the state.

    His words: Going by the scheduled election timetable, the party campaigns for the election have taken off and open politicking is gathering momentum.

    “On this note, I wish to appeal to the political parties and politicians/ contestants to exercise restraint in their pronouncements and avoid getting involved in verbal wars and inflammatory comments capable of igniting political tension and provoking rancour that could threaten the peace currently being enjoyed in the state.

    “The current political campaigns should record a significant improvement. It should be violent -free, issue-based, enriching and peaceful. It is my belief that a peaceful campaign exercise is a likely harbinger to the conduct of a peaceful election.”

    Agbaje, however, assured the stakeholders the readiness of the Commission to conduct a peaceful, transparent and credible and conclusive governorship election in the state.

  • SDP members join PDP

    Some members of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Edo State have defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State.

    The former SDP members led by a former member of the House of Representatives, Abubakar Momoh, had earlier resigned their membership of the SDP over what they termed lack of confidence in the SDP candidate Omorogieva Gbajuma to win the election.

    They declared for the PDP at a  rally  held by the party at Royal block courtyard, Auchi in Etsako West local government.

    Leader of the defectors, Hon Abubakar Momoh said they were convinced that Edo State will fare better if the PDP governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is elected.

    “We decided to join the PDP because it has a candidate that will help Edo state get out of where it is today which is not comfortable andthat candidate is a person who I believe will help to move Edo forward.

    “If he becomes the governor of Edo state, he is a man I honestly believe is the right person for the job. Why I think he is the right man is because he is a man of truth; he will not make empty promises”.

    State Chairman of  the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, assured them of equal status within the party like old members of the party.

    Orbih urged the defectors to  work for the victory to deliver Ize-Iyamu as governor.

    In his response, the PDP flag bearer, Pastor Ize-Iyamu commended the former SDP leader and his supporters for their love for him and the party. He assured voters  that he will keep faith with all his electoral promises if elected.

  • Ondo Poll: SDP to hold primary August 20

    Ondo Poll: SDP to hold primary August 20

    Ahead of November 26, governorship election in Ondo State, Social Democratic Party (SDP) Friday announced August 20, for the conduct of its primary election.

    This contained in a statement issued and signed by the party Secretary, Hon. Oladele Ogunbameru.

    Two aspirants, a former Minister for Power and Steel, Dr. Olu Agunloye and a legal practitioner, Bar. Pius Daodu are jostling for the ticket.

    The party said aspirants are expected to pay a total sum of N2million to obtain their expression of interest form each.

    It added that each of the aspirants is also expected to pay N500, 000 for party development and administrative fee, while N5million nomination forms.

    The party however said it prepares for the poll and also looking toward producing the best candidate.

     

  • Falae didn’t receive N100m from CBN – SDP

    Falae didn’t receive N100m from CBN – SDP

    The Ondo State Chapter of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Tuesday reacted on behalf of its national chairman, Chief Olu Falae over allegation that the elder statesman received N100million from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2014.

    The party, who denied the allegation, described it as a falsehood and a further attempt to smear the name of Falae.

    It was reported in the national dailies on Tuesday that Fani-Kayode, Goodluck Group, Falae’s firm, Udenwa and Onwuliri, Nenadi Usman and Okey Ezenwa received 3.14billion from the CBN.

    The report, particularly said, Falae allegedly received N100m through Marreco Limited, a company where he is chairman and that the fund was credited into the company’s United Bank for Africa Plc account No. 1000627022 on March 25, 2014.

    But, a statement issued by the state publicity Secretary of SDP, Remi Olayiwola, in Akure, the state capital insisted that the only money received by the party and its Chairman was transferred by the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) through its former Chairman, Board of Trustee, Chief Tony Anenih.

    The party spokesman noted that Anenih had earlier confirmed that the transaction was based on a written inter- party agreement which existed between the two parties before the last presidential election.

    He described the latest publication as a calculated aimed to further embarrass Falae and the SDP.

    He said; “It has failed in the past and it will fail again no matter how many times our detractors attempt to smear out name for obvious political reasons.

    “The EFCC at one point said that the N100m was from Dasuki, a lie which has now been effectively debunked. Now they are claiming that money was from a company known as Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited, an entity totally unknown to Chief Falae and SDP

    “We wish to inform the general public that it is the same amount sent by the PDP to the SDP as a result of their inter- party agreement that is now being re- presented to the public through another dubious channel in order to portray Chief Falae and SDP in bad light.

    “We wish to state with all emphasis at out command that Chief Olu Falae and SDP never had any business, dealing or any transaction whatsoever with either the Central Bank of Nigeria or the Joint Trust Dimension Limited mentioned in the report.

    “With the foregoing, we wish to advice those concerned to desist henceforth from this campaign of calumny, character assassination and trial of the innocent on the pages of newspaper.”

     

     

  • PDP, APC lose ‘members’ to SDP in Ondo

    The camps of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) in Irele Local Government area of Ondo State at the weekend depleted as their members joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The defectors were mainly grassroot politicians, including six village heads from 10 wards.

    They said their decision to defect to SDP was to enable them to work for the success of Dr. Olu Agunloye, who is aspiring to become the governor next year.

    Mrs. Ibidun Balogun  from Ward 4  said they were forced to leave  because of the complacency of their former leaders.

    She said  they  had neglected their plights.

    Her words:”Many of us sold our goods and farm products particularly to support this PDP government,  but at the end of the day, it was neglect, backstabbing and victimisation while they also put on us heavy taxes and unfavorable policies.

    “As at today, there are no meaningful developmental projects in Ode Irele and our people have been left to their  fate particularly on the total electricity blackout going to two years in the community and the Southern part of the state”.

    The decampee expressed optimism that Agunloye, who was a former minister would be given the SDP ticket as its governorship candidate ahead of the November 26, poll in the state.