The leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its 2023 presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has declared that the party is well-positioned to provide Nigerians with a credible political alternative ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on the SDP’s plans for the next electoral cycle, Adebayo said the party remains fundamentally different from both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing it as a movement founded on integrity, discipline, and principle.
“It is rare to find a true SDP member who has any interest in the APC or PDP because what they represent is completely opposite to what the SDP stands for,” he said.
Adebayo revealed that the party has embarked on internal leadership reforms to strengthen accountability and ensure loyalty among its members.
“When I ran for president, some elements within the party worked against our campaign. There were state chairmen who gave our agent cards to another party,” he disclosed. “In Kwara, for instance, we discovered that while we scored over 122,000 votes, only 22,000 were recorded for us. We are addressing such issues by changing leadership and bringing in credible people.”
He noted that the SDP’s current focus is on building a solid political structure driven by patriotism and public service rather than personal ambition.
“It takes time to build a political party made up of selfless and patriotic individuals — people who are in politics solely to make Nigeria better. That is what we are doing in the SDP,” he said.
Adebayo added that the party draws inspiration from early Nigerian nationalists such as Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Ahmadu Bello, who, despite inheriting a divided system, worked toward unity and progress. He said the SDP aims to continue that legacy through value-based politics and people-centered leadership.