Barely a week to the March 11, 2023 gubernatorial and state assembly elections, the Oyo State chapter of the Labour Party has endorsed the re-election bid of Governor Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
This was disclosed at a Press conference held at headquarters of the Labour Party in Ibadan on Sunday.
The party’s chairman in the state, Atayase Sadiq, while speaking at the event, stated that the decision to endorse Makinde’s re-election bid came following an extensive consultation with members of the party across the 33 local government areas of the state.
He said, “The last Presidential election was keenly contested by the three major parties in the country and the result of the election as announced by INEC shows that Labour Party is a force to reckon with.
“The result of the Presidential election in Oyo State is similar to that. While the result of the election in its entirety is still a subject of contention, the takehome of the election is that a third force party that emerged barely a year ago has grown to become a strong force because of the quality of its candidate.
“Having considered this, in the upcoming election in our dear state, we have decided to support a candidate with the character, competence and capacity to lead and who is also concerned about the wellbeing of the citizens as it is obvious that no party can win the gubernatorial election alone.”
The party stated, however, that “the main priority should be that the citizens win through the emergence of a candidate that best serve their interest.
“Based on this, we have decided to work with the party whose candidate aligns with ours in terms of security, agricultural development and financial well-being. And it is obvious that the current administration of Seyi Makinde has done this.”
“And we hereby call on all citizens of Oyo State to vote for him. This decision was taken with serious consideration for the party’s future in the state,” he explained.
According to the Chairman, the Labour Party’s structure in the state remain intact as its House of Assembly candidates across the state are still in the race.