The leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) stole his slogan during the campaign for the 2023 general election.
He also decried the hardship inflicted on Nigerians by the APC under President Bola Tinubu and urged the party to once again “steal” his ideas—this time, to improve the lives of Nigerians.
“I hope that President Tinubu will steal some of my ideas, just as they stole my slogan during their campaign, and use them to improve the lives of the people. I want President Tinubu’s government to succeed. I don’t want their government to be a colossal failure just so we can defeat them in the next election. If you are waiting for them to fail even more spectacularly than they are failing now, the people will suffer irreparably,” he said.
He emphasized that the policies currently being implemented by the president and his team—policies that people are now criticizing—were issues he and his team had predicted during their campaign while highlighting their implications.
He lamented that it has now become evident to President Tinubu that he is in serious trouble, as he is approaching the halfway point of his tenure and none of his policies have yielded results. “And he is running out of propaganda to explain the situation because a hungry man has no doubt that he is hungry. No amount of ‘food is coming’ can deceive a baby. It is only when the food arrives that the baby knows it has come.
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“This is the reality. They are not improving in any measurable index. They are not generating employment, reducing inflation, lowering the prices of goods and services, improving job opportunities, or enhancing security. They are failing in every area that matters to the people.
“Whether it is food, clothing, shelter, education, or healthcare—things that can be measured—they have failed. These are the critical issues we are addressing. We leave emotional politics to those who excel at it.
“But we focus on politics centered on development and measurable progress. Even if you are Tinubu’s closest ally or a member of his political party, you know that what we are saying is true. Our approach involves offering solutions so that if they reconsider, they can look at our proposed solutions and begin to adopt them,” he said.
He reminded Nigerians that their current suffering was not accidental, as he had previously warned about the consequences of voting against the SDP. However, he lamented that his warnings were ignored.
He called on Nigerians to listen this time as the country prepares for the 2027 elections, urging them to reject Tinubu and the APC to escape the current crisis.
“Now, you must listen because you have an opportunity to escape this crisis by ensuring that in the next election, you remove the APC from power and allow President Tinubu to retire and enjoy his old age. Then, we can establish a competent government to solve these problems, which we shouldn’t even be facing.
“Certain challenges are inevitable, whether a country is developed or not. However, by 2025, we should not be dealing with food shortages, insecurity, lack of access to basic education, or inadequate healthcare. These are problems we should have overcome by now; we should be facing more complex challenges,” he said.
He described the SDP as a party of ideas and discipline that only accommodates those who align with its principles. He advised those who do not share the party’s ideology not to join, as it would be counterproductive.
“This discipline has kept our party strong. We encourage those who wish to join us to be law-abiding and act with good conscience, following the rule of law.
“In our party, we employ democratic methods. We do not resort to desperate measures. We do not bribe delegates, falsify delegate lists, or conduct factional primaries. We stand by our ideology,” he said.
He reiterated that the SDP has consistently engaged in politics focused on development and measurable progress. The party has been offering solutions to Nigeria’s numerous challenges, hoping that whenever President Tinubu and his team decide to reconsider their approach, they will adopt the solutions the SDP has proposed.
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