Tension gripped the national secretariat of the Social Democratic Party on Thursday following an alleged invasion of the party headquarters by security operatives shortly after the presidential screening exercise of former SDP presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo.
Adebayo alleged that the action was part of a coordinated move to disrupt the party’s presidential nomination process ahead of the 2027 general elections and frustrate his ambition of emerging as the SDP flagbearer.
Speaking after the incident, the SDP chieftain accused Bola Ahmed Tinubu of attempting to impose what he described as “one-man rule” on the country, claiming that forces loyal to the presidency were behind the operation at the party secretariat.
He specifically named James Faleke and Joash Amupitan as individuals allegedly involved in plans to destabilise the party’s internal process and prevent his emergence as the SDP presidential candidate.
“President Tinubu the autocrat has sent his goons to invade the SDP National Secretariat a day after I completed my presidential primary election screening,” Adebayo said.
“Tinubu wants one-man rule in Nigeria. We will defeat him. It is cowardly and not presidential for the President to be afraid of competition,” he added.
Sources within the party disclosed that Adebayo had visited the secretariat for his nomination screening exercise before policemen reportedly stormed the premises in the early hours of Thursday, creating panic among party officials and supporters.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no official reaction from the Presidency, the Nigeria Police Force, or the individuals mentioned in the allegations.
