The Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Oyo State has dismissed claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) regarding the defection of some SDP members to the ruling party.
The PDP had announced over the weekend that a significant number of SDP members in Oluyole Local Government Area, allegedly led by one Mr. Olusina Ogunsola, had defected to its fold.
In a statement issued on Monday, SDP leaders in Oluyole Local Government, Chairman Ganiyu Lawal and Secretary Saheed Adewale Adetunji, refuted the claims, stating that no member of their party had defected. The statement, made available to reporters, clarified that the party in the local government remains intact and that Mr. Ogunsola is not a member of the SDP.
“It has come to our notice that one Mr. Ogunsola led some of our members in SDP Oluyole Local Government to the PDP Oluyole. We want the general public to know that SDP Oluyole is intact; none of our members left the party in SDP Oluyole Local Government,” the statement read.
The party further emphasized that the individuals named in the alleged defection had already left the SDP prior to the 2023 general elections, following the defection of the SDP gubernatorial candidate to the PDP in support of Governor Oluseyi Makinde.
“For Mr. Ogunsola to claim that he led our members to the PDP shows that he knows nothing about Oluyole politics and is at the mercy of political traders. We advise him to watch his political movements and seek political advice before he lands in the house of political parasites,” the party leaders added.
The SDP leadership used the opportunity to urge the PDP to desist from spreading what it described as “fake news” about defections and reiterated that its members in Oluyole Local Government remain loyal to the party.
Comments