2027: Oyo SDP replaces gov candidate

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The Social Democratic Party, Oyo State Chapter, has changed its governorship candidate, declaring that its ticket is not open to political negotiation.

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At its substitution plenary held in Ibadan on Tuesday, the party ratified the replacement of Mr Michael Okunlade with Mogaji Agboola as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

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The party charged the new standard-bearer with uniting members, strengthening its structures and taking its message to the 33 local government areas of the state.

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The development marked a fresh phase in the SDP’s preparations for the 2027 governorship contest, with the party leadership insisting that its objective was not merely to participate in the election but to build the political strength required to win power.

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Speaking with journalists after his emergence, Agboola said the SDP was not in the race for political bargaining but was determined to win the governorship election and introduce a new approach to governance in the state.

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“The SDP is not in the race for political bargaining. It is determined to win the governorship election and to introduce a new approach to governance in the state,” Agboola said.

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The party’s governorship candidate said the SDP would replace what he described as “pedestrian thinking” with system-based thinking, stressing that Oyo State could no longer continue with conventional approaches to governance in a rapidly changing world.

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He said, “The last time we declared our intent, we said pedestrian thinking has to stop and system-based thinking should now be the case. We should stop business as usual and bring new ideas to the table.”

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Agboola said his administration, if elected, would prioritise human development and establish systems capable of transforming the state’s human and material resources into sustainable economic opportunities.

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“My administration, if elected, will prioritise the development of the people and establish systems capable of transforming the state’s human and material resources into sustainable economic opportunities,” he said.

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He argued that Oyo State could no longer afford to remain primarily a resource centre for others, stressing the need for policies that would empower residents to acquire relevant skills and contribute meaningfully to the state’s economic development.

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Agboola said his vision was to build systems that would enable the people to translate their skills, abilities and available resources into sustainable economic opportunities rather than relying on conventional approaches to governance.

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He also dismissed suggestions that the SDP’s governorship ticket could become an instrument of political negotiation or bargaining ahead of the 2027 election.

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“The ticket is not open to political negotiation ahead of the 2027 election. The SDP is here to stay, and our intention is to take over this state, especially as we see the crop of candidates in all the other parties, whose antecedents we all know. We are here to go to the State House on our own merit. There’s no negotiation on the table as far as we are concerned,” he said.

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The party’s governorship candidate further declared his readiness to publicly engage other governorship contenders in a debate on their policy proposals, signalling the SDP’s willingness to subject its ideas and proposed solutions to public scrutiny.

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Speaking on efforts to reconcile members who may have become aggrieved over developments within the party, Agboola said his leadership would operate an open-door policy and urged dissatisfied members to return. He said, “Anyone that is aggrieved out there, the door is open. Come back home. SDP is the home of true democrats, true progressives.”

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Earlier, Okunlade, whose name was substituted on the party’s governorship ticket, described Agboola’s emergence as an important milestone for the SDP and congratulated him.

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Okunlade commended party members for their maturity and peaceful conduct during the process, just as he appreciated the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies for monitoring the exercise.

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He urged Agboola to remain committed to the party and work towards securing victory in 2027, adding that the immediate challenge before the SDP was to make the party more visible and active across the state’s 33 local government areas and wards. “We want victory, not negotiation. We want commitment, not abandonment. We want unity, not division,” Okunlade said.

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He also warned against a recurrence of situations in which candidates obtained the platform of a political party to contest elections and thereafter distanced themselves from its structures and membership. He stressed the need for candidates to remain committed to the party and its structures, arguing that the SDP’s ability to secure victory in 2027 would depend largely on unity, commitment and effective grassroots mobilisation.

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Okunlade also addressed allegations raised by another governorship aspirant concerning the substitution process and his integrity, saying he would resort to legal action if any statements made against him crossed the threshold of defamation.

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He urged party members to respect the outcome of the democratic process. “Members and aspirants should channel their grievances through appropriate democratic and legal avenues rather than allowing disagreements to weaken the party ahead of the 2027 election,” he said.

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