The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has dismissed rumours suggesting that his party is secretly collaborating with the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Adebayo, who spoke on the speculation, said he was unaware of any alliance between both parties, stressing that the SDP was focused solely on reorganising and strengthening its structures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“I am not aware of any such arrangement. What I know is what the party is doing officially to position itself for the next election,” he said.
While admitting that a few members might have personal affiliations outside the party, Adebayo noted that the SDP leadership is actively addressing such tendencies.
“Some individuals in political parties often display loyalty beyond their parties. That’s one of the challenges we are trying to fix by promoting leaders with integrity and discipline,” he explained.
According to him, his political activities are carried out strictly within the framework of the SDP.
“All my politics, 100 per cent, is within the SDP. These days, it’s almost impossible to hide relationships or alliances. If someone is truly involved with another group, there will be evidence, photos, money trails, or joint activities,” he said.
He added that while there could be a few elements within the SDP who sympathise with other political parties, such members would be disciplined accordingly.
“Once we identify them, we either demote or expel them,” he stated firmly.
Speaking on Nigeria’s 65 years of independence, Adebayo lamented that the country’s leaders have failed to actualise the vision of the nation’s founding fathers.
He expressed concern that corruption and disregard for the rule of law have persisted as dominant campaign issues six decades after independence, an indication, he said, of leadership failure.
“Everyone knows corruption is wrong, yet successive governments keep using it as a campaign slogan instead of eliminating it entirely. That’s the tragedy of our system,” Adebayo observed.
Tracing Nigeria’s challenges to its historical origins, he described the country’s foundation as one built on commerce rather than nationhood.
“Nigeria’s history is rooted in trade, an external necessity for commerce. It began as a trade zone, similar to modern-day free trade or export processing zones. That’s how the Royal Niger Company conceived it, different kingdoms and communities merged arbitrarily for trading convenience,” he explained.
