2027: Campaign With Character, Ideas, Not Religion, Adebayo Tells Politicians

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2027 general elections, Adewole Adebayo, has urged politicians to base their campaigns on character, track records, ideas and vision rather than religious sentiments.

Adebayo made the call in Ibadan, Oyo State, while attending the Methodist Church Nigeria Biennial Conference and Service for the Consecration of Bishops at the Methodist Cathedral, Agbeni.

The event, which had the theme, “I Will Fight For You,” drawn from Exodus 14:14, was attended by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, among other dignitaries.

The conference also featured the consecration of Rev. Williams Lodu Upemdo as the Presiding Bishop of South Sudan and Rev. David Bidal Joseph Wolondu as the Secretary of Conference, South Sudan.

Adebayo said the theme of the conference was particularly relevant to Nigeria’s current challenges, noting that the country needed divine intervention to overcome insecurity, poverty and poor leadership.

“There are no people anywhere in the world who need God to fight for them more than Nigerians,” he said.

The SDP candidate cautioned politicians against exploiting religious differences for political gains, urging Nigerians to judge candidates based on their records, character, competence, ideas and vision.

“You don’t use religion to campaign, you use your life, your life work, your character, your behaviour, your record, your ideas and visions. Those are the things you use to campaign,” Adebayo said.

He stressed that Nigerians, regardless of their religious affiliations, faced similar challenges and should not allow religion to divide them during the electioneering period.

“Nigerian people are the same. The God we are worshipping is the same,” he added.

Adebayo also outlined some of his priorities if elected president, promising to address insecurity and poverty, strengthen accountability and restore the rule of law.

“We will remove insecurity, we will remove poverty, we will remove lack of accountability, we will restore the rule of law. We will give you prosperity, not austerity,” he said.

Also speaking, the SDP National Chairman, Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe, said the party was strengthening its structures across the country to mobilise Nigerians from the grassroots to the national level.

Gombe said the SDP had structures at the national, zonal, state and local government levels, describing the party’s approach as a “bottom-top hierarchy” aimed at galvanising and mobilising Nigerians.

He urged Nigerians to support the SDP and its candidates, particularly Adebayo, whom he described as possessing the competence, character and capacity required to lead Nigeria in the 21st century.

“I want to assure Nigerians they will not regret voting in the SDP president and SDP candidate at all levels,” Gombe said.

The SDP chairman said the party had also worked to provide Nigerians with a credible political alternative through what he described as a transparent and credible primary process that produced capable candidates.

He therefore urged Nigerians to consider the SDP as a viable alternative ahead of the 2027 general elections.