Akeredolu Has Failed Ondo People, Says SDP

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) yesterday said Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu had failed the people of the state, lamenting that his administration could not give the people the real dividends of democracy.

Also yesterday, Akeredolu refuted reports that linked him to branded bottles of whiskey labeled “Aketi Whisky” as part of his campaign for the 2020 governorship election.

SDP’s Deputy National Chairman (South), Dr. Olu Agunloye disapproved of Akeredolu’s administration at a session with journalists in Akure on the state’s next governorship election and other issues in the party.

SDP, a centre-left political organisation, also disclosed that some governorship aspirants seeking nomination on the platforms of All both the Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had contacted the party to sponsor them for the state governorship election.

But dissenting Akeredolu’s performance in the last three and half years, Agunloye lamented that Akeredolu and APC could not give the people the real dividends of democracy because of lack of manifesto.

Commenting on the performance of the current administration in the last three and half years, Agunloye said the Akeredolu administration had not impacted positively on the people.

He admitted that the administration “has improved in some places but I have not seen much. No reasonable improvement in the education sector. No improvement in the health sector. None in economic empowerment to people.

“Moreover, school fees are not affordable for many parents. Any man campaigning but cannot do what he promised, that person is not a friend of the people. That is the reason we said whoever is coming to SDP must follow the manifesto.”

On the next governorship election, Agunloye said SDP would field a candidate for the election, saying those who have approached the SDP are both from the ruling APC and the opposition PDP as a platform for their ambition.

He said the party that was undergoing reorganisation in Ondo State, had made it clear that it would consider only politicians who would abide by the manifesto of the party.

“The SDP as a political party is undergoing reorganisation. We want to position the party as an alternative for real progressive ideology and party for progress.

“We are not going to give the SDP to somebody just for money. We want people who believe in the party. We cannot allow shenanigans to take over the party,” Agunloye said.

Agunloye, SDP’s governorship candidate in the 2016 governorship election in the state, said part of the reorganisation process of the party, was the recent dissolution of the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party in Ondo State.

He said apart from the fact that the tenure of the dissolved SWC had expired, the Executive Committee comprised old people, who may not be able to drive the new vision of the party.