The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has attributed Nigeria’s disunity 65 years after independence to the country’s accidental formation as a trade zone.

According to Adebayo, Nigeria’s evolution lacked a unifying philosophy or great leader, unlike other countries where indigenous warring tribes were united by a great leader or philosopher.

He noted that Nigeria was created as a trade zone by the Royal Niger Company, which later handed over the territory to the British government.

According to him, the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates in 1914 was done for administrative convenience rather than a desire for unity among the people.

Adebayo expressed hope that the SDP, which he described as an independent party with ideals different from other parties, was ready to lead Nigeria out of its current challenges. He emphasised that the party’s ideology is distinct from that of the APC and PDP, and that true SDP members would not be swayed by the interests of other parties.

Regarding the party’s preparations for the 2027 contest, Adebayo revealed that internal dialogues are ongoing to strengthen the party and weed out elements that may work against its interests.

He cited instances from the 2023 presidential election where party agents and state chairmen sabotaged the party’s efforts and assured that new leadership would be brought in to ensure selflessness and patriotism among party members.

Adebayo emphasised that the SDP aims to build a party of individuals who prioritise the country’s betterment above personal interests.

“When I ran for president, there were elements that worked against us in the party. There were party agents who would not show up and state chairmen who collected our agent card and then went and gave it to another political party.

“I went to Kwara and discovered that from our research sheets, we scored 122,000 votes, but they recorded only 22,000 for us. The people who were working with us, who were supposed to protest and do everything, thought that they could have a relationship with the ruling party, and then they messed that up.

“So, we are changing those leaderships; we are bringing new people in. It takes a while to build a political party whose majority of members are selfless, patriotic, and in politics because they want nothing other than a better country. That’s what we are building in the SDP,” he said.