The Social Democratic Party, Oyo State Chapter, has changed its governorship candidate, declaring that its ticket is not open to political negotiation.
At its substitution plenary held in Ibadan on Tuesday, the party ratified the replacement of Mr Michael Okunlade with Mogaji Agboola as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
The party charged the new standard-bearer with uniting members, strengthening its structures and taking its message to the 33 local government areas of the state.
The development marked a fresh phase in the SDP’s preparations for the 2027 governorship contest, with the party leadership insisting that its objective was not merely to participate in the election but to build the political strength required to win power.
Speaking with journalists after his emergence, Agboola said the SDP was not in the race for political bargaining but was determined to win the governorship election and introduce a new approach to governance in the state.
“The SDP is not in the race for political bargaining. It is determined to win the governorship election and to introduce a new approach to governance in the state,” Agboola said.
The party’s governorship candidate said the SDP would replace what he described as “pedestrian thinking” with system-based thinking, stressing that Oyo State could no longer continue with conventional approaches to governance in a rapidly changing world.
He said, “The last time we declared our intent, we said pedestrian thinking has to stop and system-based thinking should now be the case. We should stop business as usual and bring new ideas to the table.”
Agboola said his administration, if elected, would prioritise human development and establish systems capable of transforming the state’s human and material resources into sustainable economic opportunities.
“My administration, if elected, will prioritise the development of the people and establish systems capable of transforming the state’s human and material resources into sustainable economic opportunities,” he said.
He argued that Oyo State could no longer afford to remain primarily a resource centre for others, stressing the need for policies that would empower residents to acquire relevant skills and contribute meaningfully to the state’s economic development.
Agboola said his vision was to build systems that would enable the people to translate their skills, abilities and available resources into sustainable economic opportunities rather than relying on conventional approaches to governance.
He also dismissed suggestions that the SDP’s governorship ticket could become an instrument of political negotiation or bargaining ahead of the 2027 election.
“The ticket is not open to political negotiation ahead of the 2027 election. The SDP is here to stay, and our intention is to take over this state, especially as we see the crop of candidates in all the other parties, whose antecedents we all know. We are here to go to the State House on our own merit. There’s no negotiation on the table as far as we are concerned,” he said.
