2027: Adebayo Woos West African Youths, Vows New Direction For Nigeria

•Says politics is not game of mouth

Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has urged Nigerian youths to return to their communities and take active roles in politics ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Adebayo spoke yesterday in Abuja when the Confederation of West African Youths paid a courtesy visit to the SDP national secretariat.

Recalling the role played by young West Africans in the struggle for Nigeria’s independence, Adebayo said youths must deploy their influence at the grassroots if they want to change the country’s political direction.

He said: “Politics is done in the neighbourhoods. There are 166,874 polling units. Any amount of command of English that you have that does not convince your neighbour about how they are going to vote, any influence you have from Timbuktu to Accra that cannot influence how people vote in the community where you come from, that influence is academic.

“So, we must go back, and society of purpose is what made the generation before us not to see the Promised Land. That society of purpose is what the youth need to have.

“Politics is not a game of the mouth. It’s a game of the heart. Because the burden of politics is not easy. The love for your country and the vision of the future will be what will make you last long in politics.”

Earlier, the SDP Vice National Chairman, Senator Ugochukwu Uba, who represented National Chairman, Prof. Abubakar Sadiq Gombe, said the party was offering Nigerians a different political programme anchored on the welfare and security of citizens.

Uba said the party’s ideology was rooted in Chapter Two of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for the welfare and security of Nigerians.

He said: “This is a party that has a programme that will be totally different from whatever any other political party is doing.

“We cannot continue drifting, and we want to put this country back on track. Fortunately, we have a presidential candidate who knows his onions, who is determined, who is young, who is ready to turn things around.

“The political culture of Nigeria needs to change. That’s why we want to change direction. We need a new direction in the way that we can turn things around.”

Also speaking, Regional President of the Confederation of West African Youths, Ambassador Israel Akinola, said the group was committed to promoting good governance and leadership across West Africa.

Akinola said Nigerian youths needed a government that would directly improve their lives, create opportunities and support innovation.

He said the group had been impressed by Adebayo’s message of hope and consistency in advocating a new direction for the country.

“We need a government that the citizens would have a direct feeling of, that would have a direct impact on the citizens.

“We need a government that would create opportunities for young and intellectual people to grow. We need a government that would empower the youth and help us to become better,” he said.

Akinola, who identified himself as a software engineer, said Nigeria’s environment was frustrating the efforts of young innovators, stressing that government support could help turn their ideas into viable businesses.

He added that the youths, who constitute a significant part of the country’s voting population, must be given opportunities to participate meaningfully in governance.

The youth leader subsequently pledged the organisation’s support for Adebayo and promised to work towards promoting the SDP’s message among young Nigerians.