Two leaders of the foremost pan-Yoruba social cultural organisations, Afenifere, have called for massive supports for the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Prince Adewole Adebayo for the 2027 election.
They said that backing Adebayo would be in the better interest of country’s socio-political and economic development.
The SDP has adopted Prince Adewole Adebayo, its 2023 presidential candidate, as the party’s flagbearer for the 2027 general elections at its national convention held recein Bauchi State.
A chieftain of Afenifere, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, urged Nigerians to support the SDP in 2027, saying the party and the candidate is committed to social justice, equity and people-centred governance.
In a statement, Oba Olaitan, who expressed concern over the security and economic challenges facing the country, said the party would bring hope to the nation.
“This suffering of many is not an act of God,i t is the direct result of wrong choices and policies that put market forces above the welfare of the people.
“SDP is not just another political party; it is the party that best reflects the values of social justice, equity and genuine concern for the masses and for democracy,” he said.
According to him, insecurity, unemployment and inflation have continued to affect the wellbeing of many Nigerians.
He also stressed the need to protect democratic values and strengthen the nation’s multi-party system.
Olaitan said the country required policies that would improve the welfare of citizens, support agriculture and local industries, create jobs and expand access to education, healthcare and infrastructure.
He described the SDP as a party committed to programmes that prioritise the welfare of citizens and democratic development.
Olaitan urged Nigerians to elect leaders who would serve the interest of Nigerians and promote inclusive governance.
“Together, let us rescue Nigeria and build a country where every citizen can live in peace and prosper with dignity,” he said.
In a separate statement, another Afenifere leader, Olusegun R. Babalola, said that Section 21 of the Nigerian Constitution is the Keystone to Achieving Chapter II as Nigeria must constitutionalize living culture, not museum culture.
Babalola posited that Section 21 mandates the State to “protect, preserve and promote Nigerian cultures… and encourage technological studies which enhance cultural values.” But Nigeria has misread “culture” as FESTAC dances, beads, and the Wole Soyinka Center – a “museum culture” with no constitutional force.
He said that Nigeria’s rising competitors – China, India, South Korea, Singapore – succeeded by coupling ancient constitutionalism with modern statecraft.
He calls this the ‘Janus Effects’, with China revived Confucian ‘virtue-law co-governance’ to underpin market reform; while India constitutionalized Panchayati Raj to link civilizational legitimacy to modern governance.
While saying that Nigeria’s missed the opportunity, he said, “Nigeria’s emirates, obas, obis, and councils of elders embody the same ancient constitutionalism: communal accountability, consensus-building, moral obligation of rulers to the ruled. Yet Section 21 left them “honored but constitutionally neutralized,” creating a Hobbesian leviathan without a moral compass.”
He said that Prince Adebayo’s Bauchi acceptance speech on May 9, 2026 made “Achieving Chapter II” the SDP’s central pledge, saying this gives Nigeria a fresh start toward ‘the Nigerian Dream’.
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