2027: Oyo SDP Replaces Governorship Candidate, Rules Out Political Bargaining

The Social Democratic Party in Oyo State has replaced its governorship candidate for the 2027 election, with Mogaji Agboola emerging as the party’s new standard-bearer.

The change was ratified on Tuesday at the party’s substitution plenary in Ibadan, where members formally approved the replacement of Michael Okunlade with Agboola.

The party also declared that its governorship ticket would not be available for political negotiation, saying it was preparing to contest the election with the aim of winning the state rather than using its platform as a bargaining tool.

Following his emergence, the party tasked Agboola with uniting its members, strengthening its structures and taking the SDP’s message to all 33 local government areas of Oyo State.

The development signals a new phase in the party’s preparations for the 2027 governorship election, with the SDP leadership insisting that its ambition goes beyond merely participating in the poll.

Speaking with journalists after the exercise, Agboola said the party was determined to win the election and introduce a different approach to governance in Oyo State.

He said the SDP would move away from what he described as “pedestrian thinking” and embrace a system-based approach to governance, arguing that the state could no longer rely on conventional methods in a rapidly changing society.

Agboola 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.”

According to him, his administration, if elected, would place human development at the centre of its policies and create systems capable of turning the state’s human and material resources into sustainable economic opportunities.

He argued that Oyo State should not remain primarily a resource centre for other places, stressing the need for residents to acquire relevant skills and have access to opportunities that would enable them to contribute to the state’s economic growth.

Agboola said his administration would focus on creating an environment where the skills, abilities and resources of residents could be converted into sustainable economic opportunities.

The new SDP candidate also rejected the possibility of the party entering into a political arrangement over its governorship ticket ahead of the election.

He said the party intended to contest the election on its own strength and merit.

“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,” Agboola said.

He added that the party would seek to win the governorship without relying on negotiations with other political parties.

“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.

Agboola also expressed readiness to publicly debate other governorship contenders on their policies and proposed solutions for Oyo State, indicating that the SDP would be willing to subject its plans to public scrutiny.

He further appealed to members who might have become dissatisfied with recent developments within the party to return, promising an open-door approach to reconciliation.

“Anyone that is aggrieved out there, the door is open. Come back home. SDP is the home of true democrats, true progressives,” he said.

Okunlade backs new candidate

The former candidate, Michael Okunlade, who was replaced in the substitution exercise, congratulated Agboola and described his emergence as an important development for the party.

Okunlade commended SDP members for what he described as their maturity and peaceful conduct throughout the process. He also acknowledged the roles played by the Independen