Leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Prince Adewole Adebayo has dismissed insinuations in some quarters that the party had become a beautiful bride for disgruntled and internally displaced politicians seeking refuge.
Adebayo maintained that the party remains a movement driven by young people and women who want real change in Nigeria.
He noted that it is normal for people who are not satisfied with the state of affairs to find a remedy to such dissatisfactions by going to places where they think they could have a platform.
He, however, stressed that the first set of people who are not satisfied and who have chosen the SDP are the poor masses of Nigeria because, according to him, “the problems in our governance impact the people more than the elite when you talk of hunger, unemployment, insecurity and rising factor costs among other social problems.”
He also said they cannot prevent those who want to join the party from doing so, irrespective of such people’s ambition. He said: “We cannot criticise people’s motives for coming. A political party is a public institution, like a church or a mosque. When somebody’s presence is marked in a mosque and wants to pray, you cannot say, where were you last night? Where have you been during your life? Let them pray.
“If you come to a church, you sit at the pew and you say you want to kneel and pray, the pastor cannot say, wait, I saw you at the nightclub last night. He has to allow you to pray. So, coming to the mosque to pray does not mean that you will be made the Chief Imam. Coming to the church to pray doesn’t mean you are going to be anointed as a bishop, but you are free to come because it’s a place that allows everyone to come.”
Adebayo decried a situation where certain individuals tried to manipulate the system from the shadows, even as he expressed hope that the political space was already evolving.
“Many of those who worked closely with Professor Mahmoud Yakubu at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2023 are no longer there. Integrity is key, and the law must take its full course. The SDP’s message is clear, we stand for the people. We are not just another big-name political party; we are a movement driven by young people and women who want real change,” he said.
He further stated that the SDP is well organized and focused, insisting that discipline and integrity are the party’s watchwords. He advised those entering the party to drop their egos and follow the rules guiding the party.
He said: “If you want to get rid of an incumbent, you have to have discipline more than the incumbent. If you come and start fighting silliness and any seriousness, you are creating a gap that the ruling party would readily take advantage of, and you can’t blame them.
“So this is the kind of orientation. When you come in, leave your ego at the door. Leave your ambition at the door. Leave all your problems at the door,” he said.
He also noted that the SDP as a party does not have any problem with President Tinubu as a person but with the misgovernance that has characterised his administration.
“There may be a member of our party who has a dispute with somebody like Tinubu or whatever. We don’t have a dispute with Tinubu. We have a dispute with their misgovernance. So we want to focus on that. We don’t have an issue with anybody in person.
“If you don’t govern well, you are working against Nigerian people, their welfare and their security. You are breaching Chapter 2 of the Constitution, and violating your oath of office and we will tackle you on that basis. So, we don’t want to know your personal affairs.”
