Oladele, running mate join Sowore’s AAC after SDP exit

Oyo State politician, Chief Saheed Oladele, earlier perceived as the Social Democratic Party (SDP)’s governorship candidate before a dispute over the party’s nomination, has dumped the party for the African Action Congress (AAC), alongside his running mate, Mrs Damola Jaiye.

The development was announced in a statement issued by the Saheed Oladele Media Office on Wednesday in Ibadan.

According to the media office, Oladele, who had formally resigned from the SDP on Wednesday, September 16, said his decision to join the AAC was informed by his determination to rescue the people of Oyo State from what he described as the shackles of modern slavery, abject poverty, educational retrogression, poor development at the local government level and unnecessary mortgaging of the state’s future.

The office said Oladele’s political vision aligns with the people-centred principles championed by Omoyele Sowore, the AAC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election. 

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Explaining the decision, the Oladele Media Office said its principal was attracted to the AAC because of what it described as the party’s concern for the welfare of Nigerians, its strong and practical adherence to the “Take It Back” mantra and its advocacy for good governance.

The statement said: “The idea of joining the African Action Congress was borne out of his love for good governance and the human rights culture championed by the leader of the AAC, Comrade Omoyele Sowore.”

Oladele’s media office described the AAC as a party with no factions and court cases, unlike virtually every other political party, making it an ideal platform for serious candidates who truly want to contest and win elections.

The statement called on the people of Oyo State to remain confident in the political direction Oladele and his team have chosen, saying the time had come for greater youth participation and leadership in the state.

It also urged their supporters and residents of Oyo State to join the AAC en masse, especially as the party is led and populated by active and vibrant youths who, it said, have been fighting for the rights of Nigerians and keeping the country’s leaders on their toes.