Prince Adewole Adebayo, presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has called on Nigeria to return to the ideals that defined its independence era. Speaking Tuesday at a stakeholders' summit in Osun State, Adebayo urged a revival of governance rooted in public service rather than transactional politics. The meeting convened leaders from Afenifere, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), and other national groups. Adebayo recalled that Nigeria emerged from a negotiated federation, with regional leaders collaborating during the Lancaster House constitutional conferences. He noted that early political parties like the Action Group, UPN, PRP, NEPU, UMBC, the Northern People's Congress and the NCNC were built on development, equity and inclusion. Military intervention, he said, disrupted this trajectory. "Since then, our political system has largely reflected military influence and post-military tendencies," Adebayo stated. He described the summit as an effort to rebuild a unifying national philosophy based on social democracy. The goal, he said, is to clarify the responsibilities within the social contract of governance. "Our aim is to deliver the greatest good for the greatest number of Nigerians, through a system that contrasts sharply with what we see today," he added. Adebayo emphasized that the movement transcends the SDP and Afenifere, focusing instead on restoring foundational values. He insisted politics must serve national progress, not personal gain.
Adebayo's invocation of the Action Group, NCNC and other defunct parties reveals a nostalgia that overlooks why those models collapsed under internal strife and structural flaws. No amount of philosophical revival can substitute for functional institutions, which Nigeria still lacks. His call for politics as public service sounds noble, but without enforceable accountability, it remains a slogan. For ordinary Nigerians, the real test is whether such summits produce policy shifts, not just speeches.
