Prince Adewole Adebayo has emerged the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate for the 2023 presidential election.
Adebayo scored 1,526 votes at the party’s National Convention on Wednesday in Abuja to emerge as the party standard bearer, defeating the only co-contestant, Khadija Lamidi, who polled 83 votes.
The Convention Retuning Officer, Dr Umar Ardo, put the total votes cast at 1,653; valid votes 1,609, while invalid votes were 44.
In his acceptance speech, 54-year-old Adebayo, a lawyer and founder of KAFTAN Television, said that with his emergence, it was the turn of Nigerian masses to take over power in 2023.
He said that it was the turn of the citizens without food, those who graduated without work or hindered from graduating because of strike to enjoy the dividends of democracy.
Adebayo pledged that the SDP would give the ruling party All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) a ‘good fight’ in the 2023 general elections.
“We will campaign to every household, every polling unit, every ward, every local government, every state, every zone and the entire country.
“We will come out and show to Nigerians that food, water, electricity, housing, education and medical care are not prayer points,” Adebayo said.
He urged Nigerians to join the SDP, register with INEC to vote, open their minds, tell others about SDP and vote out bad leaders in 2023.
The presidential candidate thanked the other aspirants who contested the position with him, including those that withdrew along the way.
He thanked the SDP delegates for not going for money bags politicians or those who want to perpetually remain in power, but voted for a fresh person.
He said that the SDP had demonstrated that a party could conduct credible convention and that politicians could subdue their personal interest for the national interest.
SDP National Chairman, Alhaji Shehu Gabam, encouraged those who participated in the election to be part of the campaign, saying it was a joint project.
He said that the party would change the face and character of governance in Nigeria, if given a chance to rule in 2023.
Gabam said that the party considered it expedient to present itself to Nigerians as a veritable alternative, advocating a new initiative in the administration of the country.
He said that it was time for the country to get it right in 2023 general elections.
