Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has called for a level playing field for all political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that democracy cannot thrive where political opponents are intimidated or denied the freedom to promote their candidates and programmes.
Adebayo, who spoke at the unveiling of the SDP National Campaign Council in Abuja, said every political party must be allowed to freely sell its ideas to Nigerians without interference, intimidation or harassment.
He urged political actors to respect the rights of others to participate in the democratic process, warning that any attempt to suppress opposing voices was a threat to democratic values.
The SDP presidential candidate also directed his supporters to remove campaign posters, flyers and billboards belonging to other political parties, insisting that no party should be prevented from reaching voters with its message.
“Every flyer, every poster, every billboard that does not belong to SDP is to be removed. It doesn’t matter whose poster it is. This is not something that we can take lightly,” he said.
Adebayo added: “When you see signs like this, those are signs of intimidation. So it’s very important that everyone is allowed to sell their idea.”
He also commended the party’s commitment to gender balance, saying its leadership and campaign structures were designed to give women equal opportunities to participate in decision-making.
“Everything we do is 50/50. That’s five men, five women; ten men, ten women. So it’s up to the women to lead,” he said.
The presidential candidate, who disclosed that he joined the SDP in 1991 at the age of 19, recalled that his first assignment in the party was pasting campaign posters across Niger State.
He said the SDP was building a political platform anchored on purposeful leadership, national unity, truth, public service and the welfare of Nigerians.
Earlier, the National Chairman of the party, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, said the National Campaign Council was designed to strengthen mobilisation and coordination across all levels of the party, from the national leadership to polling units.
He said the council would integrate the party’s structures with the presidential campaign organisation to ensure effective coordination across the six geopolitical zones, states, local government areas and wards.
Gombe said the SDP was committed to issue-based campaigns and would not encourage violence, intimidation or electoral malpractice.
He disclosed that the party had developed a comprehensive manifesto translated into major Nigerian languages, with audio versions made available across the 109 senatorial districts to enable more Nigerians to understand its policy proposals.
He added that the party was engaging progressive opposition parties and other democratic stakeholders to promote credible, free and fair elections.
The Deputy National Chairman, Ugochukwu Uba, described the party’s 117-page manifesto as a blueprint for building a new Nigeria, saying it addressed poverty, insecurity, unemployment, economic hardship and governance challenges.
He urged party candidates to study and understand the document, stressing that it represented a covenant with Nigerians and should guide their campaigns and public commitments.
Uba also cautioned party members against placing personal ambitions above collective interests, saying the success of the SDP would depend on discipline, unity and commitment to its vision.
Similarly, former Inspector-General of Police and SDP governorship candidate in Nasarawa State, Abubakar Adamu, urged the party to make security, agriculture, employment, healthcare, education and affordable electricity central to its campaign.
“Our number one priority should be security, the security of lives and property. After that, we should think of agriculture. Then we think of employment. How do we generate employment for the teeming population of Nigerians, especially the youth and women?” he said.
Adamu also called for policies that would reduce the financial burden on parents, improve access to healthcare and make electricity affordable for small businesses.
He urged the party to place the welfare of ordinary Nigerians at the centre of its programmes, insisting that the masses must remain the priority of any government seeking public support.
