The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has urged Nigerian youths to become more actively involved in their communities and take greater responsibility for the political process ahead of the 2027 general election.
Adebayo made the call during an engagement with the Confederation of African Youths in Abuja, where he challenged young Nigerians to move beyond discussions on social media and academic arguments and become actively involved at the grassroots.
According to him, political influence is ultimately built within neighbourhoods and polling units, where voters make their choices on election day.
“Politics is done in the neighbourhoods. There are 166,874 polling units. Any amount of command of English that you have that does not convince your neighbour about how they are going to vote, any influence you have from Timbuktu to Accra that cannot influence how people vote in the community where you come from, that influence is academic,” Adebayo said.
He urged youths to return to the streets and engage directly with their communities, arguing that meaningful political participation requires more than public speeches and intellectual arguments.
“So, we must go back, and society of purpose is what made the generation before us not to see the Promised Land. That society of purpose is what the youth need to have,” he said.
Adebayo further described politics as a demanding responsibility that requires commitment and genuine concern for the country.
“Politics is not a game of the mouth. It’s a game of the heart. Because the burden of politics is not easy. The love for your country and the vision of the future will be what will make you last long in politics,” he added.
The SDP candidate’s comments come as political parties and aspirants intensify preparations for the 2027 general election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has officially scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for February 20, 2027, rather than January 16 as stated in the supplied report. INEC’s published timetable also fixes the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections for March 6, 2027.
INEC currently lists 176,846 polling units nationwide on its polling-unit directory, although another official INEC page displays 175,227, indicating that the figures on the commission’s website are not fully consistent across pages.
Adebayo is seeking the presidency on the SDP platform and has continued to engage youth groups as part of his political activities ahead of the election.
His message to young Nigerians was centred on grassroots participation, particularly the need for voters to understand the electoral process, engage their communities and play an active role in determining who represents them at the ballot box.