By Adeola Badru
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Oyo State has changed its governorship candidate for the 2027 election, declaring that its ticket is not open to political negotiation as it intensified efforts to challenge the established political parties for control of the state.
At its substitution plenary held in Ibadan on Tuesday, the party ratified the substitution of Mr Michael Okunlade with Mogaji Olusegun Agboola as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election, while charging the new standard-bearer to unite members, strengthen the party’s structures and take its message to all 33 local government areas of the state.
The development marked a fresh phase in the SDP’s preparations for the 2027 governorship contest, with the party leadership insisting that its objective is not merely to participate in the election but to build the political strength required to win power.
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.
He said the party 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.
“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,” Agboola said.
The SDP candidate said his administration, if elected, would prioritise the development of the people and establish systems capable of transforming the state’s human and material resources into sustainable economic opportunities.
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.
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.
He also dismissed suggestions that the SDP’s governorship ticket could become an instrument of political negotiation or bargaining 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, whom we all know their antecedents.”
”We are here to go to the State House in our own goodness. There’s no negotiation on the table as far as we are concerned,” he said.
Agboola 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.
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 to the party.
“Anyone that is aggrieved out there, the door is open. Come back home. SDP is the home of true democrats, true progressives,” he said.
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 on his emergence.
Okunlade commended party members for their maturity and peaceful conduct during the process, while appreciating the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for monitoring the exercise.
He said the immediate challenge before the party was to make the SDP more visible and active across the state’s 33 local government areas and wards, urging Agboola to remain committed to the party and work towards securing victory in 2027.
“We want victory, not negotiation. We want commitment, not abandonment. We want unity, not division,” Okunlade said.
He also warned against a recurrence of situations in which candidates obtain the platform of a political party to contest elections only to subsequently distance themselves from the party’s structures and membership.
Okunlade stressed that candidates must 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.
He also addressed allegations raised by another governorship aspirant, Chief Saheed Oladele, concerning the substitution process and his integrity.
Okunlade said he would resort to legal action if any statements made against him crossed the threshold of defamation, while urging party members to respect the outcome of the democratic process.
He called on members and aspirants to channel their grievances through appropriate democratic and legal avenues rather than allowing disagreements to weaken the party ahead of the 2027 election.
The SDP leadership, however, charged Agboola with the responsibility of consolidating the party’s structures, reconciling members and taking its message to every part of the state.
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