The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu owns and funds the party.

In a statement on Wednesday, the National Publicity Secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, said the claims were made by "political jobbers, attention and patronage-seeking likes of Mr Joe Igbokwe, Alhaji Buba Galadima, Engineer YY Sani and Alhaji Salihu Lukman."

Aiyenigba stated that the SDP is a national political party that runs on the provisions of its constitution and operating its people-centered ideology.

"There is no any individual who owns the SDP, and there is no godfather anywhere to whom the party reports; Nigerians own the party," he said.

Aiyenigba acknowledged the fact that the SDP provided the foundation upon which the political career of President Tinubu is built, "having provided him the platform to contest and win the Senate seat of Lagos-West along with Senator Kofoworola Akerele- Buknor and Senator Anthony Adefuye in the aborted Third Republic."

He pointed out that there is no working connection or relationship whatsoever with the president or his agents with regard to political collaboration.

He said the party has, over the years, been solely self-funded and through the subscriptions and sacrifices of members across the country.

Aiyenigba dismissed claims that the SDP is involved in merger talks, saying the party will not be in any merger with any political party.

He described the SDP as a well-running and functioning political party with verifiable structures at national, state, and local government levels.

He condemned the fabrication of falsehoods by attention-seeking individuals and called on the individuals involved to withdraw their unfounded statements against the party.

"We declare with a strong sense of commitment to our noble ideals and allegiance to the Nigerian people that we are not in any way distracted, and we will not succumb to the antics and self-serving propaganda of political jobbers.

"The SDP has, over time, been well-primed for the times, and is getting stronger and well positioned to play its manifest destiny as the main opposition force in this era, and the credible alternative vehicle to drive the ongoing swelling national movement to re-claim the Nigeria, make the lives of Nigerians truly meaningful and position the country for true greatness," he said.

Aiyenigba called on Sani and Galadima to restrain from their condemnable actions of calling the SDP names.

"We are not unaware of the many cans of worms and integrity crisis in their own political parties, but as a credible opposition party that is run by responsible and patriotic political leaders, we have chosen to be refined, elevated and decorous in our approach and responses to issues," he said.


ASA