The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has issued a stern warning to opposition leaders including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, declaring that the SDP will not be used as a political “getaway car” for personal vendettas against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Adebayo made the statement on Monday night in Abuja during the 50th birthday celebration of his wife, Queen Lillian Adebayo, where he reaffirmed his intention to run in the 2027 presidential elections.
Addressing recent coalition talks among opposition figures, Adebayo stated that while the SDP is open to alliances that genuinely serve the Nigerian people, it will not be part of any “conspiracy” by former allies of the ruling party seeking to exploit the platform for self-serving purposes.
“We don’t want to be a getaway car for a conspiracy and robbery we did not plan,” Adebayo declared. “If the coalition is for the Nigerian people, the SDP is available. But if it is just a crime centre for disappointed Tinubu followers, they should go back and resolve their differences. Don’t come to SDP to borrow us for a fight we’re not involved in.”
He emphasized that the SDP remains committed to building a credible alternative focused on governance and national development, not settling political scores.
On national security, Adebayo condemned the continued killings in Benue and Plateau states and urged President Tinubu to urgently restructure the country’s security architecture to effectively tackle rising insecurity.
In a related development, former African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, also dismissed the credibility of the ongoing coalition efforts ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking to journalists, Sowore said, “I support coalitions and opposition. But not the kind that includes people like El-Rufai. These are individuals who, once offered a position, will return to the same political fold they are now criticizing.”
He added that many of the coalition architects were former members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and ex-ministers in the Buhari administration, who, in his view, “should be forming a union of prisoners, not a political coalition.”
Echoing Adebayo’s sentiments, Hon. Femi Olaniyi Ferrari, Chairman of the Forum of SDP State Chairmen and Lagos State Chairman of the party, reiterated the SDP’s role as a credible alternative for Nigerians seeking real solutions to the country’s challenges.
“The SDP is not for political recycling. It’s a platform for genuine national development,” Ferrari stated.
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