In this interview, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and its 2023 presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, speaks on why the party is open to all Nigerians, his condition to stepping down in 2027 and other issues of national importance. Excerpts:
For some Nigerians, the SDP has become the newest bride in town, for others, it has become a safe place for disgruntled and aggrieved politicians. How has it been receiving these new set of politicians into the party?
Well, the position of the party is that every Nigerian who believes in it is welcome to join. And others who are not even involved in politics at all, who want to participate in politics, should come and join. That is the position that I am following. That is the directive of the leadership of the party; anyone and everyone, who loves Nigeria is welcome to join the party and that is where I stand.
Of course, some people who are joining the party are of special interest to the media or other interests. And the message that we are giving to the public and to those who are joining the party, is the same. It is not targeted at any person. It is a general directive to everyone that when you are coming to the SDP, you should pay attention to the Nigerian constitution.
Pay particular attention to chapter two of the constitution, a fundamental objective and directive principle of state policy that states how we should govern ourselves and avoid the misgovernance that we are seeing now.
Then, they should also pay attention to the constitution of the SDP, because we take this constitution seriously. The SDP is not like other parties where they are coming from, where they violate their constitutions at will. In the SDP, since I joined the party, I have rarely seen any instance where any officer or institution of the party or group of members is trying to violate the constitution.
Thirdly, they should look at the manifesto of the party. It is basically for the welfare of the people. That is why we ran on farewell to poverty and insecurity. And even from the news that you used to introduce the programme tonight, that poverty and insecurity are still hanging around, close to two years after the APC government produced President Tinubu, and 10 years after the APC came to power, if you started counting from President Muhamadu Buhari’s time. That is the focus of the SDP.