The Social Democratic Party (SDP) on Wednesday stated that It was ready to offer itself as a vehicle for national movement to rescue Nigeria from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The party dismissed any thought of merger with any other political party or any alliance with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This is contained in statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Ambassador Rufus Aiyenigba, which noted that the political relationship with President Bola Tinubu ended in 1992, when he won the seat of Lagos Senate on the platform of SDP.
The statement urged those associating SDP with President Tinubu to stop forthwith as there was no such thing.
It would be recalled that the former governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasiru El-rufai had recently joined the SDP as a national movement to rescue Nigeria.
El-rufai had also called on notable politicians to join the party as a vehicle for the rescue mission.
Dismissing the insinuations that SDP was being financed by President Tinubu, Aiyenigba said, “The national leadership of our great party, the Social Democratic Party, SDP, has in the past days, been inundated with calls and expressions of concern about the reckless and mischievous statements credited to some individuals, suggesting that President Bola Tinubu owns and funds the Social Democratic Party, the SDP.
“Initially, we chose not to dignify the preposterous claims of those political jobbers, attention and patronage-seeking likes of Mr Joe Igbokwe, Alhaji Buba Galadima, Engineer YY Sani and Alhaji Salihu Lukman, with any response so as not to make their false claim have any semblance of importance, but upon deep reflection and considering the preponderance of calls from well-meaning patriots, we have decided to respond as follows:
“That the SDP is a national political party that runs on the provisions of its constitution and operating its people-centered ideology.
“There is no any individual who owns the SDP, and there is no godfather anywhere to whom the party reports, Nigerians own the party.
“That beyond the undeniable fact that the SDP provided the foundation upon which the glonous political career of President Tinubu is built, having provided him the platform to contest and win the Senate seat of Lagos-West along with Senator Koloworola Akerele Buknor and Senator Anthony Adefuye in the aborted 3rd Republic.
“That there is no any working connection or relationship whatsoever, with the president or his agents with regard to political collaboration.
“That the party has, over the years, been solely self-funded and through the subscriptions and sacrifices of members across the country.
“That the SDP is not involved in any merger and will not be in any merger with any political party,
“That the SDP is a well-running and functioning political party with verifiable structures at national, state, and local government levels.
“The party condemns the deliberate fabrication of falsehoods by attention-seeking Individuals and calls on the individuals involved to withdraw their unfounded statements against the party.”
Further, the National Publicity Secretary said, “We declare with a strong sense of commitment to our noble ideals and allegiance to the Nigerian people that we are not in any way distracted, and we will not succumb to the antics and self-serving propaganda of political jobbers.
“The SDP has, over time, been well-primed for the times, and is getting stronger and well positioned to play its manifest destiny as the main opposition force in this era, and the credible alternative vehicle to drive the ongoing swelling national movement to re-claim the Nigeria, make the lives of Nigerians truly meaningful and position the country for true greatness.
“The SDP hereby calls on Eng. YY Sani and Alhaji Buba Galadima, two leaders of the ADP and NNPP, respectively, who have taken delight in calling us names to restrain from their condemnable actions.”