The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 election, Adewole Adebayo, has asserted that President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have regressed Nigeria by ten steps over the last ten years since 2015.
Adebayo emphasized that the SDP is not focused on President Tinubu’s poor performance, stating that his party recognized he was misguiding Nigerians with false promises during his election campaign.
He explained that the SDP is primarily concerned with the welfare of the poor, which is why the party is presenting alternatives to the APC.
He said, “If you are leading a road show or travelling along the street, you cannot travel 100 meters without encountering 100 cases of destitution. You know that water doesn’t run in the house where you live. No single supply of water from the water corporation to your house.
“So, what has changed? Forget about three years ago, and let us go back to 10 years ago. Where were you 10 years ago when APC took over from PDP and where are you now? Are you 10 steps ahead, 10 steps backward, or 10 steps on the same spots? This is what we are letting people know.
“We are interested in what happens to the poor. Don’t come to me and tell me that Tinubu is bad. I am not interested. I knew before. That is why I ran against him.
“I knew he would be bad. When a chef goes into the kitchen with 10 bags of rice, and says he is going to feed the whole of Ondo State, you know he is lying. He knows that it cannot be done. Tinubu knew when he was coming that all the things he was saying would not work.
“But he was addressing the poor in a tongue of deception because how can you go and tell the poor who rely on Okada, Danfo, Keke and on these unorthodox methods of travel in modern times, that you are going to remove subsidies from petrol? What does that mean? It means that they are going to increase the price of fuel and multiply the people’s sufferings.”
Adebayo equally likened Nigerian politics to a nightclub in the neighbourhood where only those inside can hear the sound of the music.
“You can see Buhari now; It has not been three years that he left power but he’s already being seen as sympathetic to some people who want to leave the party because the music is only sweet when you are inside the studio. Once you come out, they shut the door and you don’t hear it again.
He called on Nigerians to support the SDP since it is the only party that is preaching farewell to poverty, insecurity and corruption.
“Here in SDP, we don’t lie to the people and we don’t rob the bank. So, account for your past behaviour and stop mentioning people’s names here. Here, we talk about the people only. We’re not part of any conspiracy to cheat the poor. So, if you have problems with those who were in conspiracy before, wait outside, sort it out with them before coming here.
“SDP is not a place where by just mere joining us, all your sins are forgiven. No, sins are not forgiven in SDP by mere joining the party; we don’t do that not,” he submitted.
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