Segun Ayinde, Abeokuta
Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the 2023 general election, Adewole Adebayo, has said that his party will unseat the ruling All Progressive Congress(APC) in the 2027 polls.
This was just as he said that the SDP would not only unseat the incumbent administration of President Bola Tinubu, but also fight against hunger, poverty and inflation ravaging the economy.
Adebayo, who disclosed this while meeting with members of the party in Ogun State, led by its Chairman, Dr. Yinka Ola-Williams, in Abeokuta, the state capital, said that he envisioned that the party’s presidential candidate would take over the reins of power in 2027.
He said that the SDP had nothing against Tinubu, but kicked against his anti-people policies, which he said had brought hunger, persistent inflation, poverty, insecurity as well as unemployment among the youths and job seekers in the country.
Adebayo, who came in company with the former Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, expressed optimism that when the SDP comes into power in 2027, Nigeria would witness for the first time the party that shows concerns for their yearnings and aspirations as well as their dreams for a better Nigeria.
He said, “One thing that God is telling me is that there will be an SDP president in the villa in 2027.”
For the first time in a long time we will have people who care for the people. Let’s remain focused. The problems of Nigeria are our problems not individuals.”
“We are not against Tinubu as a person but we are against hunger, inflation, poverty, insecurity, unemployment. That’s what we are against,” he noted.
The former Presidential Candidate of the party expressed fear over plans from some forces to hijacked the party structures ahead the 2027 elections, insisting that only the National Working Committee of the party could issue membership cards through the executive at the state levels.
He said that the party was open to defectors but charged the new entrants to do so legitimately without taking the back door because SDP remains the party to beat in 2027.
Adebayo said ” People are counterfeiting naira, they are counterfeiting the dollars, they’re bringing counterfeit rice, NAFDAC is chasing counterfeit drugs. Why are you surprised that there are counterfeit party cards? Especially if counterfeit party cards are carried by counterfeit politicians who have the history of doing counterfeit in their former parties. So, we should forgive everybody, but this counterfeiting will not work in SDP.
“We are not fighting anybody; we are only saying ‘come to our house through the front door not through the ceiling or the window.’ That’s all. Everybody here joined the party legitimately, anybody coming will join legitimately.”
“We have spoken to the National Chairman and the NWC, he said there’s no counterfeiting of anything. Any card that’s not given through the state, LG and executives is not from the SDP. So, if they come, you will tell them to go away. Put your name in our register here and pay us here. We will get the card for you. That’s how it is.”
“They want to run faster than their legs. Secondly, you are hearing rumors that people are coming to our party, Awolowo is coming, Azikiwe is coming, Balewa, Ahmadu Bello is coming. Let’s see them. Nigerians know us and they know them,” he stressed.
The party’s state Chairman, Dr. Ola-Williams, said the party would defeat and take over the seat of power from APC across the 20 Local Government Areas in Ogun in the forthcoming 2027 elections.
“We want people to join us and we want to work together to provide a better government than what we have now that will remove poverty, provide a better healthcare system for people, improve education and all.
“But not that they come to the party, hijack the party and take the structure away. That’s what we will not condone,” he added.
