SDP presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo said he considered the nomination a fresh opportunity for the country and its citizens.
He said, “It feels good, though challenging. It’s a new opportunity for the country and for the sovereign people of this country who need a good government and a good plan.”
The SDP candidate said the party was positioning itself as an ideological alternative to the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.
He dismissed suggestions that his emergence as a consensus candidate could create grudges within the party, saying the SDP understood the need to avoid internal divisions while facing an incumbent government.
He said, “No, I don’t think so. The party understands three things. First, we are facing an incumbent government, so we cannot afford internal struggles. Second, we are fundamentally an ideological party, so it’s not about personality triumphs.”
Adebayo also reacted to the internal crisis involving some officials of the SDP, including the legal issues surrounding the party’s former National Chairman.
He said he would not comment on matters already before the court, especially where a person was facing a criminal trial.
The SDP candidate, who is also a lawyer, said the rule of law must be allowed to prevail.
He said, “Well, I’m in a corner here because I’m a lawyer. Once you start with something being in court, especially someone who is at the risk of losing his liberty and facing a criminal trial, it is unethical for me to comment on it.
“But I hope the rule of law will work and that there will be political settlement without compromising the need not to encourage criminality or say criminality is politics. I think we should just allow the law to take its course.”
Adebayo said the disciplinary powers of the party must be exercised according to the SDP constitution, adding that members facing disciplinary action also had a duty to respect party processes.
He stated that institutions such as the Independent National Electoral Commission and the police should not take sides in internal party matters but should discharge their responsibilities fairly.
According to him, “If you want to discipline somebody, you have to follow the law, and if you are facing disciplinary action, you have to respect it. If you are not satisfied, you can go to the appellate component of it. Institutions like INEC and the police should not take sides; they should do their own duty.”
