In a compelling interview on Arise TV, Prince Adewole Adebayo, the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, responded to news of Peter Obi’s agreement to join an opposition coalition by emphasizing the need for substantive policy alignment over mere personality-based opposition.
The SDP chieftain began with a fundamental observation about political opposition: “To be against an individual is not an ideological framework,” he stated. He then outlined what he considers essential elements of meaningful political collaboration: “You must agree on what to do with power, what to do with the constitution, what to do with the rule of law, what to do with public expenditure, public revenue, what are the priorities in government, all those things.”
Reflecting on his experience with current opposition discussions, Adebayo noted, “If you don’t have agreement on them, I attend some meetings, and people discuss how terrible Tinubu is. I have no doubt, I have no doubt for sure.” However, he immediately challenged this approach, asking rhetorically, “But is that what I’m going to do my politics on?”
The former presidential candidate emphasized the need for specific policy agreements: “So what I want to get clear is: Where do we agree? What’s your view on power generation? What’s your view on education?” He then posed a crucial question about the purpose of political coalitions: “So why should I join you to remove Tinubu if that’s the only thing you want to do, and you are going to continue his policies?”
Adebayo particularly highlighted education policy as a critical issue: “Not fund education, for God’s sake, and asking kids to go and take loans to get a degree for which there’s no guarantee of jobs and things like that.” He concluded with a pointed critique of age-based opposition without policy substance: “Why would I join you just to oppose one person who, in my own view, is just too old for the job, and I’m going to bring another person who is even older than the person who is too old for the job?”
This comprehensive response from the SDP leader comes at a crucial moment in Nigerian opposition politics, as various parties consider forming coalitions. His emphasis on policy-based collaboration rather than personality-driven opposition presents a significant challenge to traditional coalition-building approaches in Nigerian politics.
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Adebayo’s analysis suggests that effective political opposition requires more than just united opposition to the incumbent; it demands a coherent alternative vision for governance, complete with specific policy proposals on critical issues like education and power generation. This perspective could significantly influence how opposition parties approach coalition-building and political strategy in Nigeria’s evolving political landscape.
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