* Says Hunger, Poverty More Important Than Regional Politics
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has declared that he is not intimidated by the prospect of facing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election despite both men coming from the South-West region.
Adebayo said the SDP would not play ethnic politics ahead of the election, insisting that millions of Nigerians battling hunger, unemployment and rising living costs are more concerned about survival than regional identity.
“We don’t think like that in SDP. A hungry person in the South West is still hungry. Someone buying petrol at outrageous prices won’t care about regional identity,” he said during an interview shortly after emerging as the SDP presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
The SDP flag bearer said the focus of his party would be on addressing the economic hardship confronting ordinary Nigerians through policies centred on education, healthcare, jobs and social welfare.
According to him, the SDP represents a different ideological direction from the ruling All Progressives Congress, which he accused of prioritising politics over governance.
“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 and survival — those are the issues social democratic parties focus on,” he said.
He argued that unlike the APC, which he accused of focusing mainly on electoral victories, the SDP is committed to improving the living conditions of Nigerians.
“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,” he stated.
On the crisis rocking the SDP following the legal troubles involving the party’s former national chairman, Adebayo declined detailed comments, citing his professional responsibility as 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,” he said.
He, however, maintained that party officials must be held accountable while due process is respected.
“If you want to discipline somebody, you have to follow the law, and if you are facing disciplinary action, you have to respect it,” he added.
The SDP candidate also condemned the destruction that occurred at the party secretariat during the crisis, accusing the police of complicity.
“It’s the police that brought them, and the police used them to pull down the gates because they didn’t want to do it themselves,” he alleged.
Adebayo further accused the ruling APC of attempting to destabilise opposition parties through infiltration.
“Yes, we are dealing with that. It is the desire of President Tinubu to be the only person in the race,” he said.
On education, the SDP flag bearer strongly criticised recent policy changes in the sector, describing them as a deliberate lowering of standards.
“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,” he said.
He also rejected the Federal Government’s student loan scheme, describing it as unconstitutional and harmful.
“Student loans are a crime against the constitution and against the people,” Adebayo declared.
According to him, education should be free and accessible because investing in education is essential for national development and security.
“Why should students borrow money for education if education is supposed to be free, compulsory and qualitative?” he queried.
He warned that failure to properly educate young Nigerians would worsen unemployment, insecurity and social instability.
“You will turn scientists into taxi drivers. You destroy civilisation, and insecurity grows because the people who should become innovators are abandoned,” he added.
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