2027: We Have What It Takes To Fix Nigeria, Says Adebayo

Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has urged Nigerians to unite across ethnic, religious and regional lines, saying the country has the resources to overcome its challenges.

Adebayo spoke in Abuja when members of the Young Progressive Professionals visited the SDP national leadership and its presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

He said Nigerians should reject the belief that the country’s problems cannot be solved, arguing that other nations had overcome serious challenges through purposeful leadership.

“You have no option but to love Nigeria. No matter what your personal story, personal circumstances are, you have no option but to love Nigeria,” Adebayo said.

The SDP candidate warned against ideas and policies that could deepen divisions among Nigerians.

He said national solutions must address the needs of citizens across different sections of the country rather than benefit only one group.

According to him, a policy that excludes any part of Nigeria cannot provide a lasting solution to the country’s problems.

“There is no problem that Nigeria has that cannot be solved. So don’t be hopeless,” he said.

Adebayo also challenged young Nigerians to take greater responsibility for the country’s future.

He said the younger generation should prepare to inherit a country where the difficulties Nigerians face today would become a thing of the past.

The SDP candidate disclosed that the party would take its message directly to Nigerians through town-hall meetings across states and local government areas.

“We are going to do town hall in every state, in every local government, and we are going to spread the tentacles to all Nigerians,” he said.

He expressed confidence that young Nigerians would eventually take greater roles in government and contribute to solving challenges facing the country and the wider African continent.

“Let us wake up in the morning with smiles on our face, because this country you see, we will fix it,” Adebayo said.

The SDP vice-presidential candidate, Prof. Usman Bugaje, said political will remained necessary to address Nigeria’s challenges.

Bugaje urged younger Nigerians to take the lead in determining the country’s political future, saying his generation had little personal interest left to pursue in politics.

He cited Japan, South Korea and Singapore as examples of countries that transformed their economies after confronting serious challenges.

Bugaje said Nigeria could also pursue major transformation if leaders adopted appropriate policies and had the political will to implement them.

“We know what we need to do to get there. All we are waiting for is the opportunity, and you are the people who are going to provide the opportunity,” he said.

National Chairman of the SDP, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, said increased youth participation in politics offered an avenue for younger Nigerians to influence the country’s future.

Gombe urged the young professionals to take the party’s message to their peers across the country.

He said their involvement should focus not only on supporting the SDP but also on shaping the future they would inherit.

“You are here to help yourself and the future, even the future of those yet to come,” he said.

The SDP chairman also urged the group to mobilise more young Nigerians for participation in the electoral process.

Earlier, interim chairman of the Young Progressive Professionals, Emmanuel Fortunatus Njoku, said the group visited the SDP leadership to express concerns about the difficulties facing Nigerians.

Njoku cited the rising cost of living, unemployment and pressure on families among the issues causing concern.

He said the group was attracted by the SDP’s emphasis on human capital development and its proposed approach to governance.

The engagement comes as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 presidential election. The SDP has also recently unveiled its 2027–2031 policy blueprint, which focuses on poverty, insecurity and accelerated development.