South-West group to host presidential candidates to debate

The South West Development Stake-holders Forum, which represents over 30 grassroots South-West associations, has said it has invited the presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, among others, to its parleys in Ibadan on security and development.

The SWDSF made this known in a statement signed by its spokesman, Alhaji Olalekan Ajia, on Monday, adding that the presidential candidates of the African Action Congress, Mr Omoyele Sowore; the New Nigeria People’s Party, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso; Peoples Redemption Party, Kolawole Abiola, and Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party were also invited.

The statement noted that the purpose of the parleys is to find common grounds between presidential manifestoes and the aspirations and development plans of the people of the South-West.

It read partly, “All is now set for January 17 and 18, 2023 parleys by the people of the South-West, with the leading presidential candidates, at Jogor Centre, Ibadan, on their security and development plans for the South-West region.

“At its weekly meeting on January 1, the South West Development Stakeholders Forum, representing over 30 grassroots South-West interests and associations across party, religious and ethnic affiliations, declared that it has invited Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

“Also invited are Mr Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress, Mr Kolawole Abiola of the Peoples Redemption Party, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party and Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party.

“The purpose of the parleys is to find common grounds between presidential manifestoes and the aspirations and development plans of the South West people of Nigeria as spelt out in the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, a non-partisan blueprint prepared jointly by all six Yoruba states, for the region’s security and socio-economic development.”