Edo SDP members decamp to APC
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and Alhaji Usman
Shagadi, leader of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in Edo State during the
decamping of all members of the Social Democratic Party into the All
Progressives Congress, APC, weekend.
(Nigeria) Thousands of Social Democratic Party, SDP, members in Edo State, including the 192 Ward Chairmen on of the party in the state, executive members of the party in all the 192 wards and have renounced their membership of the party and have joined the All Progressives Congress, APC, with a resolve to work for the victory of the governorship candidate of APC, Mr. Godwin Obaseki in the September 10 governorship election.
Speaking while decamping to the APC at a rally in Auchi, at
the weekend, state leader of the SDP, Alhaji Usman Shagadi who led thousands of
his members to join the APC said, “Before I go into today’s business, let me
congratulate our son, our brother, our friend, Adams Oshiomhole.
We have no money to give him. This is how we shall pay him. As we are here, my
members in SDP, I have 192 ward chairmen.
“For two years now, I have been organizing them. Today, a
few of us will speak on their behalf. I will speak on behalf of all of them.
Then the chairman of all chairmen in Edo North will speak on behalf of Edo
North. The chairman of chairmen in Edo Central, the Esan North East chairman
and in the Edo South, Egor chairman, Olaye will speak for them.
“For the past two years, I have stayed in a house which is
not my home. I was in a house which is not my home. I have now come to my home.
I want to announce for the purpose of publication, that henceforth, I drop the
name of SDP. I am no more a member of SDP. I have now returned to my party,
APC.
“Finally, sir, all the people that are here,
the majority of them, about two-third of them, are SDP members. I want to
assure you that on September 10, you would have known that the SDP members that
have come to join this party are very important. We will win this election by
the grace of God. So, as we are going round the state, I will be showing you
all our members that we will be declaring one by one. Many of them are not
here. As we are moving round, I will be going round with the state campaign
team, and I will be declaring my people all over the state.”
Responding while receiving the defectors from the SDP to the
APC, Governor Oshiomhole said, “People will not understand why I am happy
that Shagadi has returned. It is not only about winning elections. That is very
important. Now, my tenure is coming to an end, for which I give thanks to God.
But to have our father back home to receive his son when he finishes his work
gives me endless joy in my heart.
“When I look back at the end of my journey, I still remain
with my daddy the way we started. That for me, more than anything else, gives
joy, so that I will never be accused of being a son who God elevated and then
he forgot his father. That will not be my portion. That will not be your
portion. And that is why I am happy that Shagadi is back. Now, the house is
complete.
“I want to thank all the SDP people
who have followed Shagadi to return. And I believe the state deputy chairman
was one hundred percent right. Shagadi cannot declare to APC. You don’t declare
to go to a house that is your own. You can only go out and return home. So,
Shagadi has returned home. And when they say the devil is a liar, this is the
best evidence. So, Shagadi, I am very happy. We can make wrong decisions in
life. Both the Bible and the Koran recognize in the journey of life, sometimes
we are right; sometimes we are wrong. But our prayer is, whenever we do it
wrong, God help us to correct it while we are alive.
“So, Shagadi, I am happy that we are reuniting particularly
at this time. Nobody is going to say you returned because the elections are
over. You are coming at a planting season. We are going to plant together so
that we may harvest together. So, Shagadi, I want to thank you. Thank you for
the courage because it takes great courage for an elder of your standing to
say, look, at this time in my life, I am returning home. I am so happy. God
will bless you. God will bless your wife. For me, I am happy, and I pray to God
almighty to give us victory.
“Don’t go home and say we have already won. Go and vote.
Obaseki will provide a quality of leadership that Edo people will say, we
thought Adams was great, this one is even better. That is my prayer, and by the
grace of God, he will not fail us. Thank you.
“When we say Obaseki, Shagadi knows Obaseki. He
was the chairman of our economic team from 2008 till this time, working for us,
receiving no salary. He believes in our State. He believes in our people. And
that is what we have in common. After working with me for eight years, I am
convinced he will do better than me. And that is why I am happy for Philip. We
want to build a younger generation.
"The referendum we are going to do on
September 10 is to choose between light and darkness, between a school without
a roof and the one with the red roof, between Benin City that is flooded every
day and the way it is now. So, I believe it’s a simple message. Edo cannot
return to Egypt.”
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