The former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Prince Adewole Adebayo, on Tuesday met with Afenifere, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), and some other prominent national leaders in the country.
Speaking at the meeting which held at the Leader’s Residence, Gobi House, in Ife Osun state, Prince Adebayo called for a national return to the founding philosophy that guided Nigeria’s independence.
He stressed that good governance—not transactional politics—must once again define the country’s political culture.
Prince Adebayo noted that Nigeria was established as a negotiated federation by leaders from all regions—the North, East, West, and South—who worked together to secure independence at the Lancaster House constitutional talks.
He explained that early political parties like the Action Group, Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Northern Peoples Union (NEPU), United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC), the Northern People’s Congress, and the NCNC were formed to implement national development plans rooted in fairness and inclusivity.
According to him, those early parties were all born from the same commitment to public service and national progress.
Adebayo however regretted that the intervention of the military disrupted that foundation.
“What we have practiced since then are politics influenced by military rule or post-military habits,” he said.
He noted that the Osun meeting was aimed at rebuilding a national philosophy anchored on social democracy.
According to him, the goal was to ensure that both aspiring political leaders and the citizens who entrusted them with power clearly understood the social contract that politics demands.
“We want to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number of Nigerians, through a government that is the direct opposite of what we have experienced in recent times,” he stated.
The former candidate emphasised that the initiative was not about the SDP or Afenifere but about restoring the ideals that shaped Nigeria’s independence and early political development.
