15th April, 2015
Abiodun Onafuye/Abeokuta
The political party of the former governor of Ogun state, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, Social Democratic Party, SDP could not meet up with its promises that it will defeat the incumbent during the just concluded elections.
Findings revealed that the political party did not win any seat during the governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state.
The former governor, who was instrumental in Governor Ibikunle Amosun winning in 2011, left the All Progressives Congress in 2014 after the duo fell out politically.
Osoba departed the party with the three serving senators in the state and seven of the nine federal lawmakers. After several meetings and deliberations, the defectors formed the SDP.
The party became an household name in Abeokuta and gradually across the state and other parts of Nigeria.
in Ogun, rigorous campaign and sensitisation were conducted round the 236 wards and the 20 local government areas. The party did not field a presidential candidate because it endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP candidate and incumbent president of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
Though some of the leaders of the party denied this as they stated that there was no time they agreed on such decision.
But the party fielded candidates for both the Senate and the Federal House of Representatives but none of its candidate won a seat.
At the just concluded governorship and House of Assembly elections last Saturday,the party contested for the governorship seat with the Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District, Akin Kamar Babalola Odunsi as its flag bearer.
Few days to the governorship election, it was rumoured that the party was planning to merge with the PDP to wrestle power from incumbent, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
The party however denied it at a press briefing stating categorically that any such allusion was mischievous and untrue. The party contested and lost the governorship election to Amosun of APC.
Its senatorial candidates Adegbenga Kaka (Ogun East), Gbenga Obadara (Ogun Central) and Biyi Otegbeye (Ogun West) all lost as well including all nine House of Representative candidates.
Announcing the result of the governorship election, State Returning Collating Officer,Prof. Duro Oni,Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, UNILAG disclosed that the party polled a total vote of 25, 826 votes to finish third in the governorship election.
The party came behind the All Progressives Congress, APC,the eventual winner and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
All its 26 House of Assembly candidates were defeated, causing the party to lose all elections from the federal to the State House of Assembly.
The question on the lips of many political analysts now is what next for Chief Olusegun Osoba?