Social Democratic Party’s, SDP governorship candidate in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, disclosed on Wednesday that the All Progressives Congress, APC, has agreed to adopt his party’s manifesto in forming a coalition government with SDP in Osun State if it wins Thursday’s rerun election.
He spoke after due consultations with his party’s leadership and members in all the state’s 30 local governments, affirming that SDP also is ready to work with the APC.
Omisore said in a letter he personally signed on Wednesday, entitled: ‘Formation of Coalition Government and Rerun of Governorship Election on Thursday 27th September, 2018, on Osun State,” that his party’s decision to form an alliance with the APC was because of its readiness to adopt and implement SDP’s programmes.
His words: “Our decision to form a coalition government is based on a party that is ready to work with SDP to adopt and implement the core values of our party which is social justice, equity and good governance.”
According to him: “The PDP and APC parties have approached us for coalition based on our performance and grassroots network, especially in the seven units earmarked for rerun.
Our core values and philosophies as indicated in our SDP manifestos, ‘Restoration Agenda,’ have all been presented to the APC and PDP representatives who have approached us for support and formation of a coalition government.”
SDP’s core programmes, which he said had be agreed upon by APC for implementation, include: “Professionalism and Performance in the Public Sector,” which by interpretation, “Workers must be motivated and trained; Payment of the accumulated salaries; Pensions and arrears within the first three months of the administration; to be followed by payment of full salary to all categories of workers.”
Other core SDP programmes which Omisore in his letter said were negotiated with were: “Revamping of Education Sector; Equity in Access to Services across Osun State; Local Content and Innovation in the Investment and Development of the state; Focus on robust and Effective security of all and sundry, likewise, Restoration and uplifting the condition of service Obas and Chiefs in the state.”
He contended that “For the ‘Restoration Agenda’ to be effectively implemented, SDP, Osun State would ensure that her core values are considered and incorporated into the development agenda of a party of choice for a meaningful coalition.”
Omisore said: “In this regard, we have forwarded our proposals for coalition government to the PDP representatives headed by the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki and the APC high-powered delegation led by Dr Kayode Fayemi, the newly elected governor of Ekiti State.’
According to him, the APC had since come back to accept all the conditions proposed to them by the SDP to form a coalition government, while the PDP is yet to respond.
Consequently, Omisore said: “We have therefore as a party, SDP, accepted to support the APC for victory in the rerun election tomorrow (Thursday) and therefore form a coalition government.”
Affirming his decision while speaking with Nigerian Tribune on Wednesday, Omisore said, the decision reached was in agreement with all SDP members in all the 30 local government areas in Osun State, stating that its blueprint as entrenched in SDP’s manifestos has been agreed upon by the APC.
“Since the seven areas where the election rerun would take place is SDP’s stronghold, we won in those areas, and we have agreed to work with the APC which has accepted our proposals and ensure that the party wins in the election,” Omisore said.
He backed up his decision with a communique issued by the SDP at the end of its zonal meetings in Iwo, Ijesa land, Ede, Ikirun, Ife, and signed by the party zonal executives, where in their resolutions, they all unanimously agreed to support the APC for the rerun election in Osun State.
In Iwo, the SDP leadership resolved that: “After exhaustive deliberations on the antecedents of the characters involved in the two groups, APC and PDP and the pending litigations, the meeting was well attended by the party leaders, chairmen and state officers from Iwo zone, we rose and agreed as follows: that we remain unequivocally committed to Otinba Omisore, and have absolute confidence in his leadership.”
They stated further that they agreed “that we should go for a working relationship with APC because the characters involved in PDP have reneged in all previous relevant agreements.”
In Ijesa land, the party at their meeting resolved that: “The APC leaders will be more beneficial to out party and members,” while in Ede zone, the SDP leadership in their resolution said, “We recommend support for APC during the rerun election with a solid agreement to have a coalition agreement with a 50/50 sharing formula of all posts and positions.”
In Ikirun, the SDP leadership said it resolved to back Omisore in supporting APC on its agreement that “it will marry our manifestos with theirs,” while the Ige zone leadership of SDP said: “APC is more reliable than PDP, that the fact we have a deputy governor in Ife will place a caveat on what will be available to us in Ife zone, that Osun East senatorial ticket should be given to Senator Omisore because of his enormous followership.”
Nigerian Tribune
