Olu Agunloye, the national secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), says the party is not open to merging with any political party.
In a statement dated March 21 and obtained by TheCable, Agunloye said the party would resist any hostile takeover attempts by new members.
In recent weeks, the SDP has welcomed new members from both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Agunloye said while new members may have different motives, they must adhere to the party’s rules and constitution.
“APC and PDP, which have ruled Nigeria since 1999, have not done well,” the statement reads.
“It is common knowledge that Nigeria is not where Nigerians expect it to be. Injustice, corruption, ‘money for vote’ elections, and high insecurity have led to economic crisis, massive youth unemployment, and pervasive poverty.
“People are suffering, and many more are getting trapped in poverty by the day. In the face of these challenges, the emergence of SDP as an alternative platform for progress has become compelling.
“This is why all SDP leaders and state chairmen are required to reach out to all people desirous of good governance to join the crusade for sustainable development and not leave this task only to our dynamic and charismatic National Chairman, Alhaji Shehu Gabam.
“The Social Democratic Party (SDP) is inspired by vision, stimulated by a genuine desire to serve, and is proud to say it relies on ideology. Indeed, SDP is a strong and reliable brand.
“There has been an influx of diverse politicians, including high-profile elites, into SDP, and they came with contending interests, understandably.
“Some are those seeking to build a consensus for good governance; some want a hostile takeover of the party; some just want to contest the 2027 elections at the federal or state levels or be part of the push for a better Nigeria, while others are joiners who came to pursue personal issues or vendettas or to sabotage the party.
“As we harvest these momentous newcomers, the party will take charge, be transparent, and remain committed to the principles of social justice.
“As the party opens its secretariats to admit new members, it will reinforce its existing structures and organisation and implement full integration of old and new members to achieve high-level performance to win elections.
“SDP will be fair to all new members and will create spaces, if necessary, to accommodate them and the resources and energies being brought to the table.
“However, the party will not operate any mergers or be subjected to any merger rules. Also, the party will not operate the ‘Clean Slate’ model for any reason and will not accept the ‘Takeover’ model, which intends to change the party’s name, its constitution, and its manifesto.”
Agunloye said in managing the influx of contending interests, the party would “cautiously avoid the pitfalls” that led to the failure of past alliances.
“As for the emergence of SDP as the main force, there is an advantage of a head start to consummate meticulous strategies, plans, and programmes as well as their refinements,” he said.
“Considering that the three previous alliances for electoral victory, including the AOBJ model, which won elections, failed to produce a sustainable development in Nigeria, the SDP-based convergence has to be meticulously handled in a transparent manner.”
He added that the SDP would continue to strengthen its institutions through enhancing membership registration processes, constitutional structures, and party organs and reinforcing all departments and directorates.
