Ondo SDP Describes Ex-Secretary, Agboola Alleged Attacks On National Secretary As Unfounded

The Ondo State chapter of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has described the former Secretary of the party in the state, Mr Sola Agboola’s alleged attacks on the National Secretary of SDP, Dr Olu Agunloye as unfounded, in bad faith, and libelous.

The party, in a statement made available to journalists on Friday in Akure signed by it’s Chairman, Hon. Stephen Adewale, described Agboola as “A Man Without Honour” and a mischief maker seeking unnecessary attention.

The statement reads: “The attention of the Social Democratic Party’s Ondo Chapter has been drawn to elaborately false claims ascribed to an expelled member of the party, Sola Agboola, on May 5, 2022, with the title “Do not purchase expression, nomination forms yet SDP warn aspirants.

“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 response, not only to clarify the facts, but also to demonstrate that Sola Agboola and his associates’ constant attacks on the character of our National Secretary and the integrity of our great party are unfounded, in bad faith, and obviously libelous.

“In addition, one of the generally accepted precepts of the African society is deep respect for elders. This precept, in Yoruba land, is over stretched to the extent of not replying or correcting an elderly person, even if the elderly person is patently in error. This is why we nearly succumbed to the urge to ignore the expelled former Secretary of SDP in Ondo State, and the nonexistent South West SDP Stakeholders referenced in the news release.

“However, after further consideration, we came to the conclusion that when the issue at hand is not personal, but rather one of party interest, it is incumbent upon any concerned and informed party leaders in Ondo State to set the record straight for the sake of posterity and for the benefit of our teeming members and well-meaning Nigerians who are looking forward to riding the horse of our great party to victory in 2023 general election”.

It also alleged that Sola Agboola did not speak as a party leader as he has been expelled for three years and has subsequently thrown caution to the wind by persistently insulting, slandering, and degrading its National Secretary, Dr. Olu Agunloye, who has declined to react to him.

It noted that Sola Agboola went too far in his attack the National Secretary’s personality in his press release yesterday, attempting to ruin the Social Democratic Party’s name and integrity on the altar of politics.

“His disrespect for elders and institutions trumped his sense of etiquette. While we could have ignored Agboola and written off his current remark as a footnote in the history of a dubious political con artist, we felt obligated to respond because of the falsehoods it contained”.

The party charged the general public to take note that, while serving as the partys secretary in Ondo State, Sola Agboola was expelled from the office in February 2019 by the Ondo State Working Committee owing to his unrelenting false accusations and attack on the National Leadership of the party.

“In his letter, the State Chairman at the time, Chief Korede Duyile, was quoted to have said in his correspondence with the National Chairman on the 8th October, 2019, that he was highly involved in spurious and unfounded allegations promoting and aiding the problems that have not existed and with personal ambition found to be overriding the corporate existence and good of the party in Ondo State. It is clear from this that the terrible reputation of this infamous and notorious man with a loose tongue and his clannish myopic world view is well established.

“Second, there was no South West SDP Stakeholders gathering in Ibadan as the fake narrative falsely claimed. The so-called meeting was little more than a gathering of five jobless elders looking for a meal and cold beer.

“These elders assumed seeming role of devious hatchet men with detestable plot to bring Dr. Olu Agunloyes honesty and personality into question. They are so blinded by their subversive, underground, and dishonourable scheme and hatred for our National Secretary that they don’t care if the SDP institution is destroyed in the process. Their whimsical focus on the National Secretary and the wicked analogy they paint in SDP was to forcefully drive home their plot with the intent to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. They have no shame”

The party added that Agboola has continued to engage in behaviours and activities that are considered acts of indiscipline in the framework of the Party.

“As a result, the press statement comes as no surprise to us, as Agboola’s gaffe yesterday is a continuation of his useless and sterile efforts to denigrate the constitutionally created office of our great party’s National Secretary and the illustrious Ondo man who currently holds the position. This has always been one of his favourite techniques, and now that he is upset by our party’s apparent development under Agunloye’s leadership despite his efforts to ruin the man’s name, it is expected that he will continue down the path of infamy and perfidy.

“Our National Secretary, Dr. Olu Agunloye, as a thoroughbred and cultured leader, has refrained from joining issues with a disgraced man who has already dragged himself into political mud. His reckless and baseless allegations levelled against our highly respected National Secretary is unfortunate and an insult to our Leaders hard-earned reputation which he has strongly maintained. It is on record that in all the primaries conducted under his watch while serving as the National Chairman, Dr. Agunloye has strived to ensure a free, fair, transparent and credible process. As a two-time former Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, his age and achievements in the Nigerian politics and other walks of life set him out as a distinguished citizen of this great country.

“As the 2023 general election approaches, Agboola and his cohorts have grown afraid, resentful, and envious of Dr. Olu Agunloye’s successes, current acceptance, and the SDP’s daily rising reputation.

“All right-thinking Democrats should wonder why someone claiming to be a member of the SDP would tell hopefuls not to fly the party’s flag. The party has never been more united than it is now, as new members join in significant numbers on a daily basis. Nigerians are beginning to regard the SDP as a viable option to the two major political parties that have ruled the country since 1999. We therefore, take strong exceptions to the false innuendo being passed around by expelled members of our party.

“We also enjoin the media to always carry out more findings before embarking on any publications. In as much as the false reports being published on SDP daily are not deserving of a response or dignified by explanation, the impervious malfeasance of some men of the press to publish without investigation has the capacity to create an uninformed perception and thought, hence the need for an avoidable recipe. We urge the press to act as a communal arbiter rather than a driver for escalating conflicts and spreading misleading information”.

It added that the SDP state leadership remains united and solidly committed to the task of building the party as a viable choice for the people in the state seeking an alternative to the APC and PDP misrule.

“We further make it clear that the accusation of tyrannical leadership leveled by Dr. Olu Agunloyes traducers are mere fabrications intended to smear and taint our noble leader and should be disregarded entirely”, the party added.