…Says political influence means little without community impact
For Nigeria’s young political voices, the real test ahead of the 2027 elections will not be how loudly they speak, but how effectively they can mobilise their communities.
Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, made this point in Abuja yesterday, urging Nigerian youths to return to their neighborhoods and play a more active role in shaping the country’s political direction.
Adebayo spoke when the Confederation of West African Youths paid a courtesy visit to the SDP national secretariat, where he challenged young Nigerians to translate their influence into grassroots political action.
Recalling the role of young West Africans in Nigeria’s struggle for independence, the SDP candidate said political change could only become meaningful when it reaches the communities where voters live and make their choices.
According to him, influence built outside the communities cannot substitute for direct engagement with voters.
“Politics is done in the neighborhoods. There are 166,874 polling units. Any amount of command of English that you have that does not convince your neighbour about how they are going to vote, any influence you have from Timbuktu to Accra that cannot influence how people vote in the community where you come from, that influence is academic,” he said.
Adebayo said the youth needed to build a “society of purpose”, drawing inspiration from the generation that preceded them and contributed to the struggle for independence.
“So, we must go back, and society of purpose is what made the generation before us not to see the Promised Land. That society of purpose is what the youth need to have,” he said.
He also described politics as a demanding commitment that requires more than public speeches, saying genuine commitment to the country would be necessary for young people seeking to remain active in politics.
“Politics is not a game of the mouth. It’s a game of the heart. Because the burden of politics is not easy. The love for your country and the vision of the future will be what will make you last long in politics,” he said.
SDP promises different political direction
Earlier, the SDP Vice National Chairman, Senator Ugochukwu Uba, who represented the National Chairman, Prof. Abubakar Sadiq Gombe, said the party was offering what he described as a different political programme centred on the welfare and security of citizens.
Uba said the party’s ideology was anchored on Chapter Two of the 1999 Constitution, which sets out provisions concerning the welfare and security of Nigerians.
“This is a party that has a programme that will be totally different from whatever any other political party is doing,” he said.
He said Nigeria could no longer afford to continue on its current path, adding that the SDP was seeking to change the country’s political culture.
“We cannot continue drifting, and we want to put this country back on track. Fortunately, we have a presidential candidate who knows his onions, who is determined, who is young, who is ready to turn things around,” Uba said.
“The political culture of Nigeria needs to change. That’s why we want to change direction. We need a new direction in the way that we can turn things around.”
West African youths demand greater opportunities
Regional President of the Confederation of West African Youths, Ambassador Israel Akinola, said the organisation was committed to promoting good governance and leadership across the region.
Akinola said Nigerian youths needed a government capable of improving their living conditions, expanding opportunities and supporting innovation.
He said the group had been encouraged by Adebayo’s message of hope and his advocacy for a new direction for the country.
“We need a government that the citizens would have a direct feeling of; that would have a direct impact on the citizens.
“We need a government that would create opportunities for young and intellectual people to grow. We need a government that would empower the youth and help us to become better,” he said.
Akinola, who identified himself as a software engineer, said the country’s environment was frustrating the efforts of young innovators and argued that greater government support could help transform their ideas into viable businesses.
He also said young people, who constitute a significant portion of Nigeria’s voting population, should have meaningful opportunities to participate in governance.
The youth leader subsequently pledged the organization’s support for Adebayo and said it would work to promote the SDP’s message among young Nigerians.
