Prince Adewole Adebayo is the Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, for the 2027 general election, in this interview with, MBACHU GODWIN, speaks on his Agenda, Party Crisis, and Nigeria’s Economy
How would you describe your emergence as the SDP Presidential Candidate for the 2027 election despite all odds?
I feel good, though challenging. It’s a new opportunity for the country and for the sovereign people of this country who need a good government and a good plan.
Your Party SDP has been in leadership crisis, what is the way forward?
Well, I’m in a corner here because I’m a lawyer. Once you start with something being in court, especially someone who is at the risk of losing his liberty and facing a criminal trial, it is unethical for me to comment on it. But I hope the rule of law will work and that there will be political settlement without compromising the need not to encourage criminality or say criminality is politics. I think we should just allow the law to take its course.
Are you not concerned that the litigations had caused friction and distraction in your party?
Not really. From what I know, they are trying to use the disciplinary powers of the party to hold party officials accountable. In doing that, some people won’t be happy about it. Some may even have genuine complaints that certain procedural rights were breached. What we can do is ensure people follow the constitution of the party. If you want to discipline somebody, you have to follow the law, and if you are facing disciplinary action, you have to respect it. If you are not satisfied, you can go to the appellate component of it. Institutions like INEC and the police should not take sides; they should do their own duty.
Do you think your party was fair to the embattled National Chairman over allegation of embezzlement of funds by resorting to litigation than resolving it internally?
I don’t know why it couldn’t have been sorted. As a lawyer, what I can say is that someone is alleged to be involved in several amounts, maybe you’re mentioning just one, and the person has pleaded not guilty in a court of law. What the law expects of me is to presume the person innocent while the accusers provide evidence.
If the law is working the way it should, the person is on bail, attends trial, and politics should not interfere. If we want to solve Nigeria’s problems, we cannot become another Tinubu administration where, through allies, people imply that joining the ruling party wipes away sins. If I take sides in favor of the accused because they are politically useful, it means that when I become president, I might influence law enforcement to protect friends. If I side with the accusers against someone presumed innocent, then I don’t respect the rule of law.
The best thing is to let the law work. Stealing money is not a joke. Breach of trust is not a joke. In the past, people went to prison for 20 naira, while today VIPs loot billions and still receive applause. We should stop that attitude. If money belongs to an institution and you had access to it because of your office, you must be accountable.
How would you describe the invasion of your National Secretariat by alleged supporters of the embattled Chairman, Shehu Gabam?
No! For me, it’s the police that are responsible because you don’t escort criminals to go and pull down gates.
…Cuts in….you mean they were accompanied by the police?
It’s the other way round. It was the police that brought them and used them to pull down the gates because they didn’t want to do it themselves. I wasn’t there, so I’m being careful. I only saw what was shown on television because I had finished my screening and left before it happened. The party contacted the Inspector General of Police, who said he would investigate, and also contacted the Commissioner of Police. The last time I spoke with party officials, they said they were giving the IG a few more days to act. If nothing happens, the party will take further action.
What does SDP represent, why should Nigerians trust your party with power ?
Without sounding too professorial, the SDP is the party that has solutions to your social problems. It’s a party meant for ordinary people. When you wake up in the morning, you think about feeding your family, transport costs, education, food, healthcare, jobs, survival, those are the issues social democratic parties focus on.
That’s why in some countries, they call it the “kitchen table manifesto”. It’s about everyday life. A social democrat won’t wake up and remove subsidy without thinking about the impact on transport, food, housing, jobs, and people’s savings. But if you are APC, your focus is on winning elections and congratulating yourselves afterward.
SDP focuses on social progress. Nigeria is a country where most people are poor and cannot afford basic hygiene, nutrition, education and safety. You need a political party that focuses on solving those problems, not one built around ethnicity or religion. We are concerned with how government can help people achieve their aspirations.
We know the education failure rates in many states are terrible, and in some places children don’t go to school at all. Politics should solve these problems. APC treats education and food as personal problems until election season comes around.
Are you worried that you were the sole aspirant and consensus candidate of your party?
No! I don’t think so. The party understands three things. First, we are facing an incumbent government, so we cannot afford internal struggles. Second, we are fundamentally an ideological party, so it’s not about personality triumphs.
What are your chances of defeating the incumbent , Tinubu, in the 2027 general election?
My chances are bright and I will defeat him in a transparent election. A hungry person in the South West is still hungry. Someone buying petrol at outrageous prices won’t care about regional identity. A student taking loans to attend schools with unpaid lecturers and empty laboratories won’t remember that the president is from the South West.
Do you think that there are moles planted by the Presidency to destabilize SDP?
Yes! we are dealing with that. It is the desire of President Tinubu to be the only person in the race. But this is not new. PDP governments also attacked opposition parties during Obasanjo’s era.
…Cuts in…Were you able to identify these moles in your party?
They will always exist. The important thing is leadership and helping people understand that transactional politics may give temporary benefits, but the long-term consequences are dangerous for the country.
Opponents have criticized Tinubu’s reforms especially education, would you keep these reforms if elected?
These are not reforms; they are deformations. The lowest-quality people are in government, and they want standards to fall because an educated population asks questions and challenges bad governance.
If you look at the controversies around the educational qualifications of some leaders, you’ll see they are producing people like themselves. Education creates critical thinking beyond ethnicity and religion.
What’s your blueprint for youths unemployment?
The solution is not difficult. In our time, public schools kept students occupied productively from morning till evening. We had physical education, extracurriculars, prep classes, and exam coaching. Society must occupy young people constructively from childhood.
What’s your take on students loan?
Students loan is a crime against the constitution. Why should students borrow money for education if education is supposed to be free, compulsory, and qualitative? The National Assembly members didn’t take loans for their own education. They enjoyed free education. Education should be free because if you don’t invest in your people, you destroy your society.
You will turn scientists into taxi drivers. You destroy civilization, and insecurity grows because the people who should become innovators are abandoned. That is the kind of society APC is creating.
