Adebayo: Nigeria's Legacy Born from Unintended Trade

The Legacy of Disunity in Nigeria

Prince Adewole Adebayo, the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has voiced deep concern over the persistent disunity in Nigeria after 65 years of independence. He highlighted that at the beginning, there was no significant philosopher or thinker who envisioned a unified Nigeria, unlike other nations where cultural and historical factors played a role in bringing people together.

Adebayo emphasized that many countries and societies had indigenous warring tribes or groups that eventually came together through culture or the leadership of a unifying figure. However, he pointed out that Nigeria's history is different. "Nigeria started accidentally; there are no great philosophers or great thinkers within our population who said, oh, let us all come together. Let me unite people," he stated.

The Origins of Nigeria

He attributed the current challenges facing Nigeria to its evolution as a nation. According to Adebayo, Nigeria initially functioned as a trade zone, much like free trade zones or export processing zones. "We created Lagos disco, Ibadan disco, Benin disco, Yola disco and others," he explained. This approach reflected the arbitrary way in which the British established areas for commercial activities.

The Royal Niger Company managed these zones, but eventually, the British government took over, running it as a protectorate and part of a colony. Over time, these protectorates were grouped together, leading to the amalgamation of 1914. "But 46 years later, the people who put it together just said, we’ve had enough of it, let’s hand it over to the locals now," Adebayo noted.

This transition brought young leaders, such as Herbert Macaulay in Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Ahmed Bello, into positions of power. These individuals were united by a shared philosophy of self-rule and national identity.

The SDP's Vision for the Future

Adebayo expressed hope that the SDP, which he described as an independent party with ideals distinct from other political parties, is ready to lead Nigeria out of its current challenges. He emphasized that it is rare to find an SDP member who supports the All Progressives Congress (APC) or the People's Democratic Party (PDP), as their ideologies are fundamentally opposed.

On how the party is preparing for the 2027 contest, Adebayo mentioned ongoing dialogues among members to strengthen the party. He acknowledged the presence of elements within the party that could work against its interests. "When I ran for president, there were elements that worked against us in the party. There were party agents who would not show up and state chairmen who collected our agent card and then went and gave it to another political party," he revealed.

Adebayo shared an example from Kwara, where his team discovered discrepancies in vote counts. "From our research sheets, we scored 122,000 votes, but they recorded only 22,000 for us and the people who were working with us; who were supposed to protest and do everything, thought that they could have a relationship with the ruling party and then they messed that up."

Building a Selfless Political Party

Adebayo stressed the importance of cultivating a political party where the majority of members are selfless, patriotic, and committed to a better country. "It takes a while to get a political party, whose majority of members will be people that are selfless, patriotic and in politics because they want nothing other than a better country. That’s what we are building in the SDP," he concluded.