Adewole Adebayo leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has said that the SDP may not have structure but rely on the people to win elections.
Speaking on a television interview, Adebayo reacted to the insinuation that it would be very difficult to defeat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu without a credible coalition, arguing that it is not impossible.
“We don’t have any structure based on criminality, bribery or diversion of public funds, but we rely on the structure of the people,” he said.
According to him, “What is not going to work is a coalition that does not carry the people along. What we want to do now is to form an alliance with Nigerian people. That has not been tried before because what the APC tried before that produced President Buhari was a coalition of politicians.
“And that is what we are telling some of our friends who are looking backward to think forward, that what we need to understand is that a coalition of politicians would not impress anybody anymore because the first coalition of politicians in 2015 only satisfied the politicians and left the people high and dry, and poor.
“So, right now, what the people want is not a coalition of politicians but a coalition with a clear ideology that people can identify with, as well as clear rules for competition.
“I can guarantee you that once the intention is clear that we want to serve the Nigerians, they will give us a chance and we are going to make President Tinubu a one-term president.
“It is difficult but not impossible and we are not letting our cat out of the bag yet.”
Adebayo further said that President Bola Tinubu’s alleged “anti-people policies and programmes” would become a disadvantage to the All Progressive Congress (APC) party.
He said: “We have a N55 trillion budget that doesn’t trickle down to the people. So, President Tinubu is working hard for us to come to defeat him and come to power. He is working hard to see that he will be the last APC president. So, they are working hard in that regard because they are not taking care of the people.”
Speaking on the insinuation that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, was joining the SDP, Adebayo said that until he joins the party, he wouldn’t say he is going to join or not.
“But his people are coming. My National Secretary has also informed me that they are talking. I say welcome everybody,” he said.
He, however, advised those who want to join the party not to constitute a “tower of Babel” but to follow the rules of the party.
“If we follow the rules, and we allow one person to emerge transparently, without cheating, without criminality and all sorts of things that Nigerians would say, oh my God, these same people have become these other type of people as well, there won’t be any issues.
“The way we did our convention in 2022, the people applauded us transparently, no court case, no crisis and no allegations. If they can change to our culture, and they don’t have to fear that, oh, if I don’t cheat, I can’t win. If I don’t bribe, I can’t win.
“If they follow the way we do things in the SDP, and we produce a good alternative to Nigerians, we are going to manifestly defeat the APC and retire President Tinubu to Lagos or wherever he chooses to go in Nigeria, and we will start to take care of Nigerians from day one,” he said.
