Oyo ADC Stakeholders Disown Lanlehin, Pledge to Support Makinde

The Oyo State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Monday faulted the withdrawal of the candidate of the party in the last gubernatorial election, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, from the alliance with the state Governor, Seyi Makinde, and the People Democratic Party (PDP).

The party said its teeming members, and supporters across the state are solidly in support of the governor, "believing that we are on the same page."

Before the election, Lanlehin and other governorship candidates of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Sharafadeen Alli, and Chief Bolaji Ayorinde of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), had formed an alliance with Makinde and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The parties had adopted Makinde as their governorship candidate against the candidate of the APC, Chief Bayo Adelabu.

But Lanlehin, in a statement by his media office last Tuesday, said he was opting out of the coalition because of Makinde’s non-compliance with the spirit and letters of the terms of agreement reached before the gubernatorial election.

However a letter by a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Busari Adebisi, on behalf of the party (ADC), which was addressed to Makinde, said stakeholders of the party have not abandoned the coalition, especially good governance for the people of the state which was the basis of the alliance.

According to the statement, "Following the recent political development in Oyo State, as it affects the purported withdrawal of Senator Lanlehin from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition with your government, I am compelled to make the following observations that the prime motive of bringing ADC to the state was to ensure the termination of the eight-year agonising rule of the APC administration, and most importantly, to ensure that the administration does not succeed itself by other means in order to free the good people of the state from the regrettable APC socio-economic bondage.

"Another reason for the ADC was to participate and ensure the emergence of a credible alternative to APC lack-luster administration in the state. As it is customary in such political arrangements, the parties in the coalition usually agree on a set of conditions, the basis of which they go into elections together. The summary of the agreement reached with the PDP for our party was 30 per cent participation in the government.

"Without prejudice to the above observations, I wish to unequivocally declare to you that our party, the ADC, its teeming members and supporters across the state are solidly in continued support of your government, believing that we are still on the same page."