Why I joined SDP at 19 – Presidential candidate

The Social Democratic Party presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, on Thursday recalled joining the party at 19, saying he began his political career by pasting campaign posters across Lagos.

He disclosed this when members of the Young Progressive Professionals paid a courtesy visit to the national secretariat of the SDP in Abuja.

Recalling his political journey, the SDP candidate said he joined the party in 1991 while studying law at the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University.

Adebayo said his decision to join the party followed his study of its manifesto after initially opposing the creation of political parties by the then military government.

He said, “I joined the SDP in 1991 when I was just 19 years old. I was studying law at the University of Ife. I remember how we organised a demonstration when we heard that former Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, had formed two political parties. We said, ‘Who is a soldier to form a political party for us?’

“So we demonstrated and appealed that nobody should join these political parties. But there was an issue that forced us to go on break. I returned home in Lagos. So, I started studying the parties. I read about the NRC. Then I stumbled upon the manifesto of the Social Democratic Party. By the time I read through everything in the party’s manifesto, I no longer cared that the party was formed under the military. I could see that it was a very good platform.

“I made an argument and urged others that this is the party we should join. I remember the then NANS national president called me a capitalist. But I ignored him and joined the SDP, and I have remained in the party since that time.”

Adebayo said his first assignment in the party was to paste political posters across Lagos, an experience he described as part of the process of growing through the ranks.

“When I joined the party, my first assignment was pasting political posters all over Lagos. And given the background that I came from, my action was regarded as an insult. But I enjoyed it,” he said.

He recalled that during a recent visit to the residence of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo to mark the sage’s posthumous birthday, an elderly man recognised him as one of the SDP members who used to paste posters in his street.

“That is how you grow in a political party. Therefore, this generation has to step up and take responsibility for the future of the country,” Adebayo said.

He urged the young professionals to see themselves as potential national leaders, saying they were old enough to aspire to positions such as national chairman, senator or presidential candidate.

According to him, Nigeria’s challenges are surmountable, arguing that the country has the resources and human capacity to overcome its problems.

“Why I am telling you this long story is that every one of you is old enough to be a national chairman of this party, presidential candidate or senator. We are the only regional power in the world, whose neighbours pray that we get weaker. Our leaders have become complacent.

“You wake up in the morning and hear somebody calling himself a leader in Nigeria. No training required. So, a political party is the university for training leaders,” he said.

Adebayo also criticised the government over poverty, insecurity, unemployment and inadequate electricity, saying the welfare of citizens should be the primary responsibility of government.

The SDP candidate further urged Nigerians, particularly young people, not to lose hope in the country, insisting that its problems could be solved.

“There is no problem Nigeria has that cannot be solved. So, don’t be hopeless. Stop saying our problem cannot be solved. We don’t have one per cent of the problems that other countries have. The only difference is that those countries have leaders that attend to them,” he said.

Adebayo further cautioned young Nigerians against allowing ethnic, religious, regional or gender sentiments to divide the country.

Also speaking, the National Chairman of the SDP, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, said the visit by the young professionals demonstrated that young Nigerians still had hope in the country.

Gombe said the older generation ought to have handed over leadership responsibilities to younger Nigerians but had been unable to do so because of the prevailing circumstances.

“If things are going right, I am certain some of us here are supposed to have retired and allow you youths to take the centre stage. Unfortunately, this is not so because of the situation we found ourselves in,” he said.

The SDP chair also urged the young professionals to mobilise voters ahead of the 2027 general elections, citing the relatively low turnout recorded in the 2023 elections.

“We have almost 100 million registered voters. In the previous election, only 24 million votes were cast in the 2023 general elections,” he said.