‘Allow Us Apply Disinfectant If You Want To Join SDP’ – Adebayo

The 2023 presidential candidate for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has stated that the party is open to welcoming new members but would first “disinfect” them to ensure they do not bring any negative influences from their previous affiliations.

Naija News reports that Adebayo made this remark during an interview on Channels TV on Sunday.

Adebayo emphasized that while the SDP is welcoming to individuals from all political backgrounds, it would require newcomers to undergo a process of “disinfection.”

He compared this to the precautions taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, where individuals entering a space would be sanitized to avoid contamination.

“If you want to come to the SDP, you have to make sure that you allow us to apply disinfectant, not because we don’t respect you but because you are coming from a highly infected zone,” he said.

The SDP leader further clarified that the party’s constitution and guidelines are well-structured and designed to maintain integrity and cleanliness in the political process.

According to Adebayo, the party’s organization and structure are meant to focus on providing quality leadership and service to Nigerians, free from criminality, bribery, and divisive practices such as ethnicity and religion.

“The party’s constitution is well-sanitised. The party’s guidelines are well-sanitised. Chapter 2 of the constitution outlines the services we are committed to rendering to the Nigerian people, emphasizing leadership free from corruption, bribery, and negative influences,” Adebayo added.

Adebayo acknowledged the difficulties that many potential members have faced in their former political parties, citing examples of figures like Peter Obi, Nasir El-Rufai, and Atiku Abubakar, who have publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the parties they left.

“We sympathize with everyone who is coming, we know they’ve gone through a lot of trauma but our job is to say: whatever your job is, leave it at the door because this political party is not about politicians; it’s about the Nigerian people,” he remarked.

The SDP’s membership process, according to Adebayo, requires that new members read and understand the party’s constitution, which will be enforced at the local ward level.