—Condemns attacks of party members in Ondo West council area

By Dayo Johnson, Akure

The Social Democratic Party SDP, in Ondo state, has declared that its House of Assembly candidates in the Saturday elections would not step down for any other party candidates.

It also condemned the attacks of the party members in the Ondo West council area of the state.

The party’s state chairman, Stephen Adewale, said this in a statement made available to Vanguard. Akure, the state capital.

The statement is entitled “SDP Adopts APC Candidates, House of Assembly Elections in Ondo State.”

The chairman said that “Ondo SDP does not normally respond publicly to comments attributed to non-members, but given the sensitivity of the issue, we believe that the false comment described above requires a swift response, not only to clarify the facts but also for the sake of our large team of supporters, who may have been misled by the mischief makers’ conjectures.

“For the avoidance of doubt, and record purpose, let it be noted that all our candidates into the Ondo State House of Assembly are all in the race till the end and none of them is stepping down for any of the candidates from the other political parties.

“We have candidates who stand out amid the State’s whole field of contenders.

” The record of our candidates in private businesses and politics remain unblemished despite an attempt by irritants assembled by the opposition parties.

“Only bunch of disoriented and unsettled educated illiterates like these notorious gangs would make up such defamatory tales.

“The terrible reputation of these infamous and notorious men with loose tongues and their clannish myopic world view is well established.

“As the March 18 House of Assembly election approaches, these aliens have grown afraid, resentful, and envious of our MHA candidates rising profiles, current acceptance, and the SDP’s daily rising reputation.

“In the same vein, we also condemned the renewed spate of violent attacks on supporters of our great Party in Ondo West Constituency II.

“Our concern follows the today’s attacks by thugs suspected to be working for one of the politicians who recently won his reelection to the National Assembly was orchestrated to intimidate our supporters from coming out enmasse to vote for the candidate of our party in Ondo West Constituency 1.

“Above all, we hereby emphasise that such act of recklessness if unchecked appropriately by the relevant authorities could lead to a significant breach of peace in Ondo town if thousands of other genuine members of our great Party decide to challenge or confront these enemies of democracy in order to safeguard the party’s and our candidate’s true interest.

“It is, therefore, instructive that the State Security apparatus must intensify surveillance on such black spots as Ilaje, Ondo West and Ondo East and such other places where these thugs are being used as instruments in the hands of notorious and unpopular candidates, to intimidate the opposition prior to the March 18, House of Assembly Elections.

“The Ondo SDP wish to assure party faithful and supporters that the party is prepared more than ever before to confront the challenges ahead with equanimity and will not submits to acts of intimidation.

“The SDP is resolved to do everything within the ambits of the law to protect her members from being disenfranchised on Saturday election.

“The Ondo SDP hereby calls on all our well-meaning and patriotic members across the state to remain calm and peaceful as the situation is very well under control.

Adewale said that ” Members of the Nigerian public is thus urged to completely disregard in their entirety, the publication and false assertion made by these disgraced and expelled members of our great Party.