A Christian cleric and political mobiliser, Prophet Isa El-Buba, has endorsed the presidential ambition of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, saying Nigeria must embrace a new political direction to break the cycle of underdevelopment.

El-Buba spoke at the public launch of Adebayo’s presidential blueprint, Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity: Governance and Accelerated Development – Blueprint of a New Nigeria, 2027–2031.

The cleric said his decision to support Adebayo followed an extensive study of the candidate and his policy document, adding that he had spent the previous night studying the blueprint.

According to him, the proposals contained in the document offered a credible pathway to rebuilding the country and addressing its longstanding challenges.

He said his support was not based on personal considerations but on the need to break what he described as Nigeria’s repeated political cycle.

“If there is one person that is going to really, really fix Nigeria as we desire, it is Prince Adewole,” El-Buba declared.

He said Nigeria was not lacking in human and natural resources, but had continued to suffer from the inability of successive governments to properly organise and deploy those resources for the benefit of citizens.

El-Buba particularly commended the blueprint’s emphasis on measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians, rather than assessing government by speeches, promises or the number of projects announced.

He noted that the document addressed security, food, water, energy, healthcare, education, housing, employment, justice and digital access as interconnected foundations for a productive and dignified society.

The cleric said he was also impressed by Adebayo’s economic vision of moving Nigeria from dependency to self-reliant prosperity.

He expressed confidence in Adebayo’s running mate, Professor Abduljalil Tafawa Balewa Bugaje, whom he said he had worked closely with and believed could provide the leadership required alongside Adebayo to address the country’s challenges.

El-Buba, who recalled his involvement in the political mobilisation ahead of the 2023 elections through the Coalition for Better and Brighter Nigeria (CBBN), said the grassroots structure could be replicated on a larger scale ahead of the 2027 election.

He, however, said the current political moment required concrete action rather than rhetoric.

“It is no longer speeches; it’s action time,” he told the gathering.

The cleric announced that he would immediately commence mobilisation of his network, beginning with Kano and subsequently extending to states in the North-Central.

He challenged every Adebayo supporter to personally mobilise at least 100 people within their sphere of influence, saying a coordinated grassroots effort could produce a formidable political movement ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

El-Buba also urged the SDP leadership to identify credible Nigerians across the country who enjoy the trust of their communities but may lack the financial resources traditionally required to contest elections.

He said candidates should be selected based on integrity, competence and character rather than financial strength.

The cleric urged the party to demonstrate that it had moved beyond its past identity and had become a platform defined by credibility, competence and sacrifice.

“It is time we present to Nigeria that SDP is no longer the SDP of yesterday. The present SDP is the SDP of credibility, competence and character,” he said.

El-Buba expressed optimism that the SDP could mobilise at least 15 million Nigerians behind Adebayo and Bugaje before November, describing the target as part of a broader effort to rescue the country.

He urged Nigerians not to be motivated by immediate personal benefits but by the need to secure the future of the country.

“Let us be honest men and women who will not be induced by what we can get, but by what we can do and what we can deliver for the saving of the soul of Nigeria,” he said.

The cleric called on Nigerians to become active participants in the political process, insisting that changing the country’s story would require citizens to move beyond complaints and participate directly in efforts to mobilise political change.

“Nigeria must be saved, and now is the time to get Nigeria saved,” El-Buba declared.