THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, in Ondo State weekend ruled out plans to form an alliance ahead of next Saturday governorship election in the state.

Speculation was rife that the governorship candidates of the parties, Eyitayo Jegede of the PDP and Hon Agboola Ajayi of the ZLP are in talks to merge in a bid to sack the incumbent governor Rotimi Akeredolu of the All Progressive Congress.

But statements issued by both political parties in Akure, the Ondo State capital laid to rest any possible alliance by them.

The Chairman of the ZLP Media Committee, Eni Akinsola in a statement in Akure described the alleged alliance as “falsehood deliberately being pushed to discourage our members from mass mobilisation and campaign for our flag bearer, Agboola Ajayi.”

“We ask broadcast stations to be wary of being used to deliberately propagate this satanic fallacy.

“Our candidate remains the best in terms of on-the-job experience, resonance with the masses and understanding of the immediate needs of the electorates.

“Media houses should, therefore, stand firm on the ethics of the profession and not lend their mediums to those who, not having any policy and programme to canvass, have settled for de-marketing our party.

“We ask our members to keep on with relentless campaigns focused on such core and value-laden issues as affordable education, free infant and maternal health, mass reconstruction of road infrastructure, immediate reconnection of the disconnected southern part of the state and connection of other unconnected parts to the steady power supply and creating employment opportunities for the young and youthful through industrialisation and ICT, among others.”

However, Kennedy Peretei, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in the statement said “for the avoidance of doubt, we will like to declare to the whole world that the PDP has never sat down anywhere with anybody in the ZLP to discuss any merger plan, much less perceive any move or begging to make its governorship candidate step down.

“This is another typical tale by the moonlight, often told during the election period,” the party clarified. Dismissing the claim that Jegede was being asked to step down for the ZLP governorship candidate under the rumoured merger plan, the PDP said it was laughable in its entirety and remained a concocted lie.

“How on earth can the duly elected governorship candidate of the PDP, the biggest political party in Africa, step down for the candidate of a bedroom political party, formed in the heat of political harlotry? God forbid.

“While the PDP welcomes other political parties to join the winning team in dislodging the present locust regime under the APC and install a government of the people, the PDP has never changed its identity and name and will never commit the sacrilege at the Ondo State level.

“Besides, the ZLP candidate, who is the current deputy governor of Ondo State, left the APC for the PDP, where he was magnanimously given a waiver to test his popularity by contesting for the PDP governorship ticket.

“He lost the primary election in a poll which he himself described as free and fair, and then, all of a sudden ran away from the party, barely two months as a member.

“The next thing was that he had been picked by a tiny party belonging to a political godfather, where he got his needed rehabilitation to become a governorship candidate. “Ever since, we have known little or nothing about his affairs,”

The party similarly denied any meeting by any of it chieftains with former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the Ondo State governorship election.

“If former Governor Segun Mimiko met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, that did not in any way concern the PDP, as Mimiko is not a member of our party, and we had never been invited for any talk by the former President.”

Peretei, therefore, urged “the people of Ondo State not to be distracted by any last-minute political ploy to cause confusion in their minds, “having resolved to vote for Jegede in the October 10 election”. (Vanguard)

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