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Former Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mulikat Adeola Akande, has urged Nigerians to rally behind the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, saying the country cannot afford to miss what she described as an opportunity for genuine change in 2027.
Akande, who spoke at the public presentation of Adebayo’s book, ‘Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity: Governance and Accelerated Development — Blueprint of a New Nigeria, 2027–2031,’ expressed confidence in Adebayo’s capacity to transform the country.
She challenged Nigerians who continue to dismiss the SDP as a small political party, arguing that the size of a political platform should not determine the quality of leadership it can produce.
According to her, Adebayo has presented himself and his policies to Nigerians and has demonstrated a willingness to devote himself fully to changing the country.
“Each time I hear the presidential candidate speak in public, I just pity Nigerians because it is so easy to see someone who can take you to the promised land,” Akande said.
She urged Nigerians not to allow the SDP’s relatively smaller political structure to discourage them from considering Adebayo for the presidency.
“People believe, oh SDP is a small party; we don’t know. They only want to align with the big parties,’” she said, insisting that Nigerians should instead focus on the candidate and what he has offered to the country.
She said the responsibility for determining Nigeria’s future ultimately rests with citizens, warning that future generations would hold Nigerians accountable for the decisions they make at the 2027 election.
“The earlier we begin to think in the right direction, the better,” she said. “He has offered himself. He has offered everything that he has to ensure that this country changes.”
She wondered why Nigerians would continue to support political actors they believe are responsible for the country’s current challenges while ignoring an alternative that has presented itself before them.
“Do we like what is going wrong right now? You know the people who are causing this, and you are still standing by them. What else do you want?” she asked.
She also dismissed concerns that Adebayo’s promises could amount to the same political rhetoric Nigerians have heard from politicians in the past.
She argued that the SDP’s candidate had gone beyond merely making political statements by outlining his policies and what he intends to accomplish if elected.
“He has told you his policies. He has told you what he can do,” she said.
Akande further appealed to supporters of the SDP to take the party’s message beyond the gathering, urging them to mobilise Nigerians ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
“Just like the Prophet El-Buba said, everybody should go out there and get people to believe in what we are doing in the SDP,” she said.
She emphasised that the movement should not be reduced to the ambitions of individual politicians, saying the ultimate objective was to rescue the country from its current difficulties.
“It is not about me. It is not about him. It is about the country,” she declared.
She warned that Nigerians could regret failing to seize what she described as an opportunity for change in 2027.
“The earlier we latch on to this opportunity, the better for us,” she said, adding that Nigerians should carefully consider the consequences if the opportunity is missed after the 2027 election.
