SDP has no legitimate national chairman, excos – Falae

A former National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Olu Falae, has dismissed the two sets of executives claiming to be the authentic national leadership of the party, saying they lack legitimacy.

He said the party has not had a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting since March 2020.

Mr Falae reportedly disclosed this on Friday amidst the lingering leadership crisis rocking the opposition party.

Two factions of the SDP led by Supo Shonibare and Olu Agunloye and Shehu Gabam, are laying claim to the leadership of the party.

The crisis reached its peak last two weeks ago when the Supo Shonibare led faction of the party called out Messrs Agunloye and Shehu Gabam for allegedly posing as the leaders of the party.

Mr Falae, a former presidential candidate, told the Ondo chapter executive members who visited him that “nobody can claim to be a legitimate member of the SDP national executive, not one.”

“The last election was in March 2016, it expired in March 2020. Anybody claiming to be national chairman is just floating on water, you have no mandate.

“There is no basis at all, whether it’s (Supo) Shonibare or (Olu) Agunloye. My tenure was the only legitimate executive and it has expired,” he said.

Despite the crisis rocking the party, some of its members have shown interest in running for president on its platform. Adewole Adebayo, Cessnabimilo Akenova and Khadijah Okunnu-Lamidi are the aspirants who may be contesting in the party’s primary on June 3.