By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The national secretariat of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, was on Thursday gripped by tension after security operatives stormed the party headquarters shortly after the presidential screening exercise of former SDP presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo.
Adebayo alleged that the action was part of a coordinated attempt to disrupt the SDP’s presidential nomination process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, the move was orchestrated to frustrate his ambition of emerging as the party’s presidential candidate.
Speaking after the incident, Adebayo accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of attempting to impose “one-man rule” on the country, alleging that forces loyal to the presidency were behind the operation at the party secretariat.
The SDP chieftain specifically accused James Faleke and Joash Amupitan as part of those he claimed had perfected plans to destabilize the party’s internal process and prevent his emergence as the SDP flagbearer.
“President Tinubu the autocrat has sent his goons to invade the SDP National Secretariat a day after I completed my presidential primary election screening,” Adebayo said. “Tinubu wants one-man rule in Nigeria. We will defeat him. It is cowardly and not presidential for the President to be afraid of competition.”
Sources within the party disclosed that Adebayo had visited the secretariat for his nomination screening exercise before policemen reportedly swooped on the premises in the early hours of Thursday, creating panic among party officials and supporters.
As of the time of filing this report, there has been no official reaction from the Presidency, the Nigeria Police Force, or the individuals named in the allegations.
