Oyo PDP crisis deepens as Makinde, others defect to SDP

IBADAN—The crisis-ridden Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Oyo State was further depleted yesterday as one of its aggrieved leading governorship aspirants, Seyi Makinde picked up the ticket of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, as its candidate for the 2015 election.
Just last week, a former governor of the state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala also dumped the party for the Labour Party after the former Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin was given the party’s ticket.
While declaring his intention to call it quits with the party in Ibadan yesterday with all his teeming supporters, Makinde said; “After fruitless efforts to ensure that free and fair election prevailed within PDP and witnessing the yearnings of the ordinary people of Oyo State that are asking for change for the reduction of poverty due to poor governance, I find it extremely difficult to shy away from this popular demand to make a difference in lives of our people.”
Justifying the reason for dumping the party, Makinde asked, “how can this same party have a candidate who claims to have been elected with 167votes which is just about 10percent of the total number of delegates after the majority or 1, 053 delegates were disenfranchised.”
“I am concerned about the level of deprivation of our people. Poverty has dehumanized and debased the quality of lives down to a level that is incompatible with human dignity.
“In my private capacity, I have tried to lift them up but I believe that with the instruments of governance, we can together move farther than any private effort. I have seen in my interactions with people that they believe in what we are doing and they are ready to support us to the best their abilities”, he said.