Prince Adewole Ebenezer Adebayo
Top legal luminary and former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, (SDP), in the 2023 election, Prince Adewole Adebayo has said that he would not step down for former Vice President Atiku Ababaker as the presidential candidate of the SDP in the 2027 presidentail election if he joins the SDP.
In this interview with Peoples Daily Newspaper, Adebayo, the SDP leader spoke about the recent happenings within the party and many other issues of importance.
Excerpt of the interview:
Q. We read about what happened in the last few days within your party. Does that affirm that your party has emerged from its crisis?
A.Well, I don’t see any crisis in particular. The party is running normally. I think that now that many people are starting early to talk about 2027, there’s now a kind of unusual attention paid to something that’s a simple matter. We have not started using the word crisis.
I think there was a meeting at the end of National Working Committee, NWC. There were 12 of them. They are supposed to be 15. And from what we gathered from both sides of the discussion, 11 people attended, including the Chairman, Secretary and all of the rest of them. Now, a majority of them said that they took a decision to fill three positions in the NWC and I think there is a minority that said that they were not happy with that decision. But we are not getting involved in that because I’m not a member of the NWC and no member of the NWC has come out to speak. So, I think they’re trying to work it out among themselves.
The National Publicity Secretary is a member of the NWC. He issued an official statement and there’s no other statements issued by the NWC since that time. So, we don’t want to get involved in it. They are very close. They are closely knit. And their Chairman, Shehu Gabam, has been leading them quite well. They’re very united.
First, I can tell you, Gabam of Bauchi State is the National Chairman of the party, duly elected at the national convention of June 8, 2022. Nobody is contesting that. Not a single person and he remains the Chairman. We like him; we’re okay with him. Dr. Olu Agunloye emerged from the same election. He was our National Chairman before. And we adore him because he was our National Chairman and he stepped down to become National Secretary out of humility in order to balance the candidature and the party leadership. So, his position is also unassailable.
Most of the comments you get are comments that are coming from people who are not in leadership. Some who have just joined and they like to hug the media, but I can tell you, even in this latest discussion, the National Chairman has been quite mature. He’ has not issued any statement. National Secretary has been quite mature. He has not issued any statement. And I think from what I gather at their meeting, they are working things out. The National Working Committee is the most active organ of the party and at our convention, they were given powers to make decisions on behalf of the convention, pending convention, and on behalf of the NEC, pending NEC.
I think they will work it out. It’s an intra-NWC discussion and they’re not telling outsiders what they disagree about. But, I think they made a decision and they’re working on it.
Q. There are now accusations that maybe the kind of disease affecting the PDP is going to affect your party. There are those who are already saying the opposition is in danger and that there are forces that are bringing down opposition. Those are the fears that people have when they hear that this kind of crisis is brewing.
A. Let’s get something clear. Many people or some people who have been in politics for a while may not be used to internal democracy. We, in the SDP, are used to it. If 11 people meet, 12 people meet, and they are tasked with a constitutional duty and they want to decide it, the majority of that body will decide it. That is not something strange to us. And if someone, maybe doesn’t like that decision, as a member of that body, you can complain. It’s a party that is free. So we don’t have any crisis.
As for those who want to join us, everyone is welcome to join us. And I have zero anxiety regarding what will happen at the convention. I intend to run, and I believe that the party will choose the best of whoever contests at that time. So, I’m not personally worried about that. But I don’t want you to assume that what is happening in PDP or elsewhere is happening to us. We are a democratic party. We don’t have a godfather. PDP is the Peoples Democratic Party. Are they democratic? They left the people behind and they are not democratic at all. That’s why they are in trouble.
They are more of a people’s gubernatorial party, because governors control them. In the SDP, members are equal. When you go to NWC, National Chairman and the National Secretary or whatever other person, they are equal members.
Q.Maybe because you are not in power?
A.We are in power in some places. We are responsible for it. Power is not in one person. Power is in the constitution of the party. I don’t dabble into party affairs because I am not a party functionary. I’m just a member, a leader in the party, and a member who has his own ambitions and aspirations.
However, I just want to assure the public and those who genuinely want to join us that we are used to this democratic system of decision making.
So, if you have 11 NWC members decide on an issue, 7 voted one way, 4 or 3 voted the other way, that doesn’t mean a crisis and the people are still coming to work. They are working together. They go to each other’s houses to have dinner.
Q.What are the back-channel forces? Those who feel that SDP could follow the same fate?
A. I can tell you that it’s impossible. The party is highly united. People are enlightened. And the interest of the public is what governs all of us. I’m not sure it governs very well. I love the party. It cannot be compromised. No, no, no. I love the party and Dr. Agunloye has spent almost all of his retirement life, which he has used to enjoy his life, after being road safety Corps Marshall, after being Minister many times, governorship aspirant, university lecturer among many others. He should have been in Lebanon or in those states somewhere enjoying overseas life. He loves the party.
Q.Would you be stepping down for Atiku Abubakar?
A. No, I would not. He has not said anybody should step down.
Q.But, there are talks by those of his friends who are already gravitating towards your party and I’m very sure that you have heard there is a possibility of SDP being used as a platform for the opposition.
A.Let me say something clearly. Neither me, vice president Atiku Abubakar, nor any other politician can use the SDP. The SDP belongs to Nigerian people. Nobody can use it. What can happen is that people who believe that the SDP is right and the ideologies are right, can come to the party and know that the party is open and democratic. You want to come in there and compete because you have the best chance of competing in a system that has not been bought over by anybody.
But, if you just think that the SDP is something you can use, it cannot be used. What you can do is: I like the SDP. I respect its ideology. I respect the work that has been done by those who are there. I want to join and contribute. That is okay. But, if someone is sitting down somewhere and wants to use something, we are not allowed to use it. But if you want to join us, you can join us.What is clear, and I must respect that, is that people are just speaking on his (Atiku’s) behalf. He knows what he wants to do. He has access to us. And we are not going to need a third party to tell us what he wants to do or all of that. When he wants to join the party, he will come to us and join the party. Until then, we don’t discuss him because he appears to know what he’s doing. He’s highly experienced. He’s been running for president for 32 years.
Q. You’ve seen him and Nasir El-Rufai a few times. And Nasir El-Rufai is now a member of your party. Does that give you an inclination of the possibility because it looks like El-Rufai is leading a coalition talk
There is a video that has gone viral about how they are planning to unseat President Tinubu in 2027?
A. First, all of us want to unseat President Tinubu in 2027.
However, Atiku Abubakar is a Nigerian leader. He meets with various people. Some like to take photos with him and put it in the media. Some want to meet him quietly. He meets hundreds of people every day. So, he is not involved in any coalition led by somebody else. What I can tell you is that the SDP is led by Shehu Gabam and Dr. Olu Agunloye and many of your leaders. He has not given me an assignment to do coalition on his behalf. He has not given any assignment to my senior brother El-Rufai.
El-Rufai is not representing the SDP in any coalition. I am not. The SDP is waiting. The SDP is expressing its own understanding of how best to come together and remove this person who has caused the APC and non-performing President called Bola Tinubu. The SDP has its own plans. We are looking at various options. We realise that at the end of the option, you will need a political party that is viable.
Q. Maybe they don’t think that you have what it takes to defeat Bola Tinubu and the APC. Maybe that’s the reason why they are thinking, let’s use the SDP or let’s come into the SDP, let’s form a coalition. If they approach you, because they believe that Adewole Adebayo may not be a match for Bola Tinubu…
A. I don’t know about that. Let the Nigerian voters tell me that. But, what I can tell you is that President Bola Tinubu is not a match for the Nigerian people.
Q.Are you a match for him?
A.If I am backed by the Nigerian people, of course, he will be defeated.
Q. Do you think you are better than him? Do you have better ideas than Bola Tinubu or the APC?
A. Well, you can compare our ideas. What I said during the campaign and what he said during the campaign. Compare the two, you will realise that he is not the ideal.
Q. You don’t think that he is on a good trajectory leading this country in the past two years?
A.He is on a good trajectory to losing the election and going back to wherever originally he came from, Lagos, and mind his business because we have given him two years to put his act together. We have given him all the suggestions, all the cooperation. We have allowed him to experiment with some things that no government would get away with in the past. And he has two more years to put his act together. I pray for him. I wish him well. But the way he is going, he needs more than prayers.
Q. Senator Abba Moro said the PDP is going into a coalition. The PDP has to lead it. Will the SDP and yourself go into a coalition the PDP is leading?
A. That is a question that Shehu Gabam can answer. That is a question that Dr. Olu Agunloye can answer. But, what I know, from interacting with the party leadership, party membership, the SDP is too different from the PDP for us to be led by the PDP.
You will recall that our national chairman was one of those who left PDP and came to SDP. And the reasons he left remain the same. The party is united under one national chairman. The party is strengthening itself. From what I know now, we have 15 NWC members, and all of them are coming together. The PDP has had 16 years to prove to Nigeria what it is, what it means. And the PDP is in power in so many states. You can see whether they are doing well or not.
So, what I can say generally is that the SDP wants Nigeria to give us a chance. We are not going to be under any other political party. We welcome every contestant. The fact that I am interested in running for president has not stopped me from working with the party leadership to attract people into the party.
Q.So, working with the PDP, as far as you are concerned, is a disaster?
A. I don’t have any personal issues with them
Q. Some people said it’s going to be an easy ride for Tinubu and the APC in 2027 if the opposition don’t get together. Perhaps that’s what El-Rufai is saying. To say they’re meeting in Kaduna to see how they will send President Tinubu back to Lagos in 2027.
A. Let me just say something clearly. You have been in this business for a long time. How many times did you see Bola Tinubu in 2013?
This kind of work is not done on the pages of newspapers. It’s not done in front of the media. First and foremost, El-Rufai is just another person like me. He has no authority of any political party to negotiate anything.
Q.So is there a solid plan to unseat Bola Tinubu?
A.Clearly. But it’s not a series of collages of pictures of caucuses, where somebody paints caucuses. So, it’s underground… The talks are going underground. A lot of Nigerians are not aware. Yes, or you leave somebody at the airport. You take a photo together and say, yes, coalition. That is not infantile like that. It is something that is deep.
Because, in addition to having a genuine grouse on behalf of Nigerian people against the non performing government of President Bola Tinubu and APC, even we who are in the opposition have differences. And we must work out those differences first before we can go and challenge the person who is now there. But if we don’t work out our differences first, clearly, we will discover in the middle of the struggle that we are incongruous.
Q.So, APC and Bola Tinubu should be worried?
A.Well, they should be worried first about not serving Nigerians well.
They shouldn’t be too worried about losing the election. They should be worried about disappointing the people. The office of President is not a monarchy.
Q.With Bola Tinubu’s political sagacity?
A.His political sagacity will be translated to the welfare of Nigerian people first. You see, all this sagacity, all this you are talking about, it is when you are looking for power. You are looking for power to serve the people. This is not a movie.
People are dying of hunger. There is insecurity. Every time you read the news, I see your face. You feel sad because you want good news. You want good news when you are reading the news. You don’t want people being killed. Terrorists being hung. All these things. You don’t want that. So, if you have sagacity, use the sagacity to run the lives of Nigerians.
