SDP disowns Alliance for Transformation Mandate

…Passes vote of confidence in Adebayo

The national leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has dissociated the party from a group, Alliance for Transformation Mandate (ATM), saying the two have nothing in common.

The party, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, on Friday said its attention had been drawn to a world press conference by the ATM, which described its members as foot soldiers for the SDP.

Part of the statement read: “Members of the SDP across the nation, and the general public are hereby informed that the obviously sponsored group put together to serve the personal agenda of their sponsors, is not known to the party, and therefore, whatever pronouncement they have made about any of the leaders lacks authority.

“The group should, therefore, be ignored by Nigerians, and their statements dismissed as inconsequential.

“It is only the National Chairman of the party and National Publicity Secretary as spokesperson who are authorised by the Constitution of the SDP to speak for the party on any matter that affects it.

“The SDP is a disciplined, well-structured and truly democratic institution in form and operations, and all its leaders and members reserve the rights of expression and freedom to hold personal views and opinions.

“The national leadership and the generality of SDP members reckon with the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, as the best candidate in the last election, and he has excellently represented the ideology of the party in all his outings during and after the 2023 election.

“It should be noted that the party is not in any form of conflict with him and it expresses a vote of confidence in him and his capacity.

“The SDP will always speak on topical issues that affect the party, when necessary and that will be done through the appropriate and authorised channels, not through fictitious groups.

“The public is hereby informed that the national leadership of the SDP empathetically declares the ‘ATM’ as an unknown group to the party and is advised to be rightly guided.”

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.