The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has ruled out the possibility of stepping down for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Adebayo addressed speculation about a potential coalition among opposition parties ahead of the next election cycle.
Reacting to suggestions that the SDP might be absorbed into a broader alliance to challenge President Bola Tinubu, Adebayo maintained that neither he nor Atiku holds the authority to dictate the direction of the party.
“I will not [step down], and he [Atiku] has not said anybody should step down. Neither me nor Vice President Atiku Abubakar can use the SDP. The SDP belongs to the Nigerian people. Nobody can use it.
“What can happen is that people who now believe that the SDP is right, and that their ideologies align, can come to the party. Knowing that the party is open and democratic, they will want to come in and compete, because you have the best chance of competing in a system that hasn’t been bought over by anybody.
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“But if you think the SDP is something you can just use — it cannot be used. What you can do is ally with the SDP and respect its ideology and the work that has been done by those who are already there. If you want to join and contribute, that’s fine. But if someone is sitting somewhere and wants to use something, we are not available to be used,” he stated.
While he acknowledged Atiku’s stature and political experience, Adebayo added that the former Vice President has not directly reached out regarding coalition talks.
“I must respect Atiku, but what is clear is that people are speaking on his behalf. He knows what he wants to do, and he has access to us. We don’t need a third party to tell us what he wants to do. “When he wants to join the party, he will come to us. Until then, we don’t discuss him, because he appears to know what he is doing — he has been running for president for over 32 years,” he said.
