By SouthernVoicenews,
Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party SDP, in the 2023 general elections, Prince Adewale Adebayo, yesterday, September 2, visited the Azagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty, Prof. Chike Edozie to sort royal blessings on his aspiration.
He also inaugurated his South South campaign office in Asaba, the Delta State Capital.
Speaking at the Asagba palace, Adebayo said what the SDP was bringing onboard come 2023 was truth and justice, adding that there was nothing lacking in the country that it does not already have other than both virtues.
He said, “There is nothing Nigeria lack order than those two things.
For many years, politicians have promised us what we had already and deny us what we don’t have. They will say, we will put money, we have money already, they will say we will develop this, develop that, we have that already, what we lack is truth, we also lack justice. That is why we don’t have peace and peace is an extension for everything we want to do.
“We want a country whereby we will abolish poverty because it is the will of God that we should abolish poverty in this land and we should so so decisively. It is not something to be proud of that 30 years ago, this Social Democratic Party came to this palace to say farewell to poverty and that 30 years later we will still come here to say farewell to poverty, we should have kicked out poverty long ago, but I assure you that we will be the last set of politicians that will say farewell to poverty.”
Adebayo commended the Asagba and the Asaba people for their peaceful and friendly disposition to strangers even in periods of crisis, noting that it was a virtue worth emulating by all people and tribes in the country.
“When things were tough in this country, this community played a major role, for which we still need to do justice. I wish the whole of Nigeria will toll the line of Asaba people, when we thought they will be hostile, they will be fair to all and that when they are punished or endangered for being fair, they will still have the courage to wait this number of years for Justice to be done. I can promise the people of Asaba is that justice will be done no matter how long it take.
“It is also justice that the queen of England whose servants came here and gave us what we call democracy today, practice democracy in their own country but they have not abolish the queen. The queen is still the head of state. We need to go back and give more that ceremonial position to our kings.”
In response, the Asagba of Asaba, HRM, Prof. Chike Edozie, wish the SDP candidate success in his aspiration, advising him to live up to the reputation of the SDP as a great party in the past.
He observed that one of the roots of Nigeria challenges today was it’s decision to set aside traditional institutions and limited it to ceremonial roles.
He said, “if the Nigerian government has proven confidence and learn from the traditional institutions, Nigeria today will be a different country, but they have set the traditional rulers aside, they play a minor role and that is one of the tragedies of Nigeria today.
“They forgot that the traditional rulers were here even before the British government came and the British government coming into the country was accepted because they entered into a truce with the traditional rulers to provide protection and the traditional rulers gave them authority to rule. Then the politicians came in independence and the British government gave them power and forgot those who gave them the power.
“That is one of the tragedies of our country and we must correct it if we want to move forward and one of the major things which we have to do today is to see how to rectify that.
Earlier in his remarks while introducing that SDP presidential candidate, it’s Delta State gubernatorial candidate, Chief Kenneth Gbagi disclosed that the party was co-founded with the understanding and permission of the Asagba of Asaba.
He said the party was out to exercise it mandate given to it by the entire Nigerians when MKO Abiola won the 1993 election that was widely acclaimed to be the best in the country, adding that the party couldn’t have won an election so fair, so smooth, so acceptable all over the world and have not ruled the country till date.