Back to Basics: SDP Ex-Presidential Flagbearer Rallies Afenifere, Arewa Leaders on Founding Ideals

Back to Basics: SDP Ex-Presidential Flagbearer Rallies Afenifere, Arewa Leaders on Founding Ideals

A former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adebayo Adewole, has issued a stirring call for Nigeria to return to the founding philosophy that shaped its independence, declaring that governance—not greed—must once again define the nation’s politics.

Speaking at a high-powered meeting in Osun State, which brought together Afenifere, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), and the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), the SDP stalwart lamented what he described as the drift from Nigeria’s original political vision.

He reminded leaders that Nigeria was built as a negotiated federation, forged through cooperation among leaders of the North, East, West and South during the historic Lancaster House constitutional talks.

According to him, the early generation of political parties were not driven by personal ambition but by structured development plans rooted in fairness, inclusion and national progress—an ethos he said was derailed by military intervention.

“What we practice today is largely shaped by military influence and post-military habits,” he declared.
The Osun convergence, he explained, was convened to reignite a national philosophy anchored on social democracy and a clear understanding of the social contract between leaders and the people.

In a pointed swipe at the current political culture, he warned against “transactional politics,” insisting that leadership must focus on delivering the greatest good for the greatest number of Nigerians.

“We want a government that is the direct opposite of what Nigerians have experienced in recent times,” he said.

Tracing Nigeria’s political heritage, he cited legacy parties such as the Action Group, Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU), Northern People’s Congress (NPC), and the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), noting that they were all founded on shared ideals of public service and national development.

“This is not about SDP or Afenifere,” he stressed. “It is about restoring the soul of Nigerian politics—where governance is a duty, not a business venture.”

With growing discontent over governance nationwide, the message from Osun was clear: a return to principle-driven leadership may be Nigeria’s best shot at reclaiming its lost promise.