The search for a development leader, nationalist and humanist to steer the ship of the Nigerian-state has no doubt produced many candidates with different intentions. However, above them all is a man of gravitas and substance, a proven leader who has produced human resources that has helped his country and the community, a man of the future who has succeeded in bringing thousands of youths out of unemployment pool, a man who has continued to give children from poor homes hope of a better tomorrow by using his personal resources to cater for their personal and academic needs, a man who has succeeded in producing high calibre of professionals. A man of institutions and authority, Prince Adewole Adebayo, the Social Democratic Party {SDP} Presidential Candidate in the February 2023 elections.
Truly, Prince Adewole Adebayo cannot be missed in a crowd. The immensity of his numerous aptitudes and the effervescence of his charm stands him out at every gathering. One can hardly meet a more confident man, an individual who cherishes the life of the mind, invests ins its cultivation and continually stand out for his brain, lucidity, and logic. He easily ranks among the most educated and able Nigerians in any field, and certainly one of the very best yet to hold a public office, and one of the most committed to the public good through his philanthropy gestures in Africa and beyond. Adebayo’s talents are strengthened by a tough character built on the old values that are anchored on hard work, honesty, and resilience.
A look into his trajectory presents that Adewole was born in Ondo City, Ondo State, on January 8, 1972. Between 1978 and 1983, he attended St. Stephen Primary School in Ondo. This awesome talent was nurtured in Ondo kingdom, and he has devoted his adult life to making it better for all. A direct descendant of Osemawe Odunola, grandson of Osemawe Lamele and direct descendant of Alaafin Onigbogi and Alaafin Sango of Oyo Ile.
From 1991 to 1997, he attended Obafemi Awolowo University, where he earned a law degree. He was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 2000 after graduating from the Nigerian Law School in Lagos and passing his bar exams. Adebayo later attended law school in the United States of America, where he passed the New York Bar Exams. Adebayo is licensed to practice in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, California, New York, and federal courts in the United States
This awesome talent was nurtured in Ondo kingdom, and he has devoted his adult life to making it better for all. A direct descendant of Osemawe Odunola, grandson of Osemawe Lamele and direct descendant of Alaafin Onigbogi and Alaafin Sango of Oyo Ile. Adewole Adebayo was born on the 8th of January 1972.
After completing his Primary school in Ondo, his mind was sharpened at Saint Joseph College, Ondo and further refined at the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University where he graduated with honours in Law. In OAU, not only did he run a successful law programme, but also participated in National activism as a great Nigerian student. He was called to Bar in 2000 after completing his bar exams from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos.
In 2002, shortly after his return to Lagos following his NYSC in Kogi State, he joined Tunji Abayomi Law Firm where he quickly rose through the rank. Adebayo later acquired Master of Law at the University of Jos. He participated in the activities of Nigerian Labour Congress as a comrade, and he made friends across Nigeria who admires him for his strength of character, integrity, and zeal. He later left the law firm of Tunji Abayomi for Abuja where he established his personal law firm, “Adewole Adebayo & Co., House of Law”. As a principal solicitor, he came into prominence as a leader in his professional field while also investing in the future of young people by employing corps members lawyers and teaching them.
Adewole Adebayo began his legal career as a litigation lawyer at Tunji Abayomi and Co in Lagos, Nigeria. After two years of legal practice, he founded his own law firm, Adewole Adebayo & Co., House of Law, in 2002. One of the cases handled by his law firm in Nigeria was the case between Femi Falana and the Federal Government, in which Femi Falana (SAN) contested the constitutionality of the contract between the Ministry of Interior, the Nigeria Immigration Service, and Continental Transfert Technique Limited for the collection of Combined Expatriate and Residence Permit Aliens Card (CERPAC) fees. Adebayo represented Continental Transfert Technique Limited in the case.
With seasoned lawyers as associates and partners, he has groomed many seasoned lawyers over the years. The share breath of Adebayo’s knowledges, his broad mind, the clarity of his analysis and his competence soon brought him to the national limelight. Adebayo became known as a young man who handles every difficult task with aplomb. The same qualities that had enabled him to succeed in the country’s legal circle eventually brought him to international limelight as many international businesses and conglomerates began to entrust him with the legal fate of their firms. A member of the International Bar Association, Adebayo later returned to school inn the United State of America completing the New York Bar Exams in flying colours.
Today, his practice cuts across all the continents of the world. Adebayo is licensed in California, New York, and courts of the United States. He has substantial law practice experience UK, Europe, Australia to mention a few. He is a fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitration Nigeria, Singapore, and United Kingdom. Adebayo is the chairman Blueprint Global Group Washington DC, Board Adviser of US Black Chambers of Commerce, Board Adviser National Black Chambers of Commerce USA. He is also President and Board Chairman of several corporations in the US, Nigeria, and East Africa. A farmer and chairman of Agbedes Agric Projects, Adebayo is the Chairman of Sai Phytochemicals, producers of Slain drugs for treatment of sickle cell anaemia in India and Nigeria.
As the chairman of Africa Dialogue Mission (ADM), Adebayo was in 2006 appointed by the United Nations Organisation and ECOWAS as Commissioner on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Liberia. Adewole, a passionate son of the soil decided in 2016 to relocate his businesses to his hometown of Ondo city to contribute to the development and growth of the town and the state.
In December 2016, Adebayo held a one-week retreat at his country homes in Ondo Kingdom. It was at this retreat that the objectives and mission statement of KAFTAN TV was birthed. KAFTAN TV is headquartered in Ondo with additional offices in Lagos, Abuja, and Washington DC in the United States of America. KAFTAN TV broadcasts on Startimes, Ben TV and Lyngsat. It has been able to reach a wider audience across more than 20 African countries where Startimes broadcast, reaching an audience of over 6 million homes with news in business, politics, sports, entertainment, and global trends. KAFTAN TV has produced 1,036 corps members in its three stations in Ondo, Abuja, and Lagos. The company has successfully retained 103 corp members. On November 18, 2021, NYSC recognised KAFTAN TV as the corp members’ employer in Ondo Zone. He did not stop with that grand feat, he has sponsored over 2,000 young Nigerians in Nigerian and foreign tertiary institutions, in addition to numerous people he has financially empowered across the country.
Adewole Adebayo is a recipient of many awards in recognition of his service to his state, community and to humanity. In March 2021, he was recognised by the Ondo state government as the indigene who pays the highest personal income tax to the Ondo State Government. On November 26, 2021, he was bestowed with the award of the Best Media Proprietor of the year by Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ).
Prior to now, not many people how politically sound and gifted this man who has done any great things to bring smiles to many faces in the Nigerian state until his emergence as the Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party {SDP}. Adebayo, a public affairs commentator who provides advice on national issues on occasion and participates in Nigerian politics as a member of the Third Force.
On January 15, 2022, Adewole Adebayo declared his intention to run for the office of the Nigerian president. As a man who has paid his dues in the system, running many private endeavours with the requisite skills to manage resources, people, and institutions, he emerged on the larger national political scene having been elected presidential flagbearer of the Social Democratic Party, (SDP) for the 2023 general elections. That was no surprise to those who knows him.
In an election that was keenly contested which drew delegates from the 36 States of the Federation to the International Conference Centre, Abuja, Adebayo polled 1,546 votes to defeat his closest rival Kadijah Okunnu-Lamidi who polled 83 votes. The former Ekiti State Governor, Segun Oni-led convention planning committee declared 44 votes invalid.
As a leader who was magnanimous in victory, Adebayo while responding to his victory promised to run an all-inclusive government and attract the best brains in various spheres of human endeavours to make the country great again.
He said SDP remains the only democratic alternative left for Nigerians “who are tired of the broken promises made by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the All-Progressives Congress, APC.
The exercise which lasted for over nine hours was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), a delegation led by a national commissioner, publicity and voter education, Barr. Festus Okoye and other independent observers.
Earlier, The National Chairman, of the party Alhaji Shehu Gabam, indicated that his party will change the narratives of the character of governance in Nigeria if Nigerians give the party chance to rule the country. According to him, the 2023 general election is the time for Nigeria to get it right by electing its candidate Prince Adewole Adebayo. Gabam said the party considered it expedient to present itself to Nigerians as a veritable alternative, advocating new initiative in administration of the country.
“Today, we have elected our party’s presidential flag bearer who is mandated to pursue our vision of a new Nigeria. We presenting to Nigeria a new initiative on how to move our country forward to a destination that we can all be proud of. Nigerians and Nigeria should be and indeed tired of unfulfilled promises and dashed hopes and now ready to change their destinies. Nigerians are tired of unending insecurity problems, tired of poverty and want, tired of daily threats to Nigeria’s corporate coexistence, tired of non-inclusive governance, tired of policies that exaggerate our differences, tired of the daily emigration of our best brains and our youths to better climes. Nigerians are tired of bad leadership and tired of lack of electricity despite the colossal investments in power generation.
“They crave a land of equal opportunities, social justice, fairness, and liberty to pursue their legitimate daily chores without hindrances, a land where existence and ability to achieve their heart desires and to contribute their quota to its development is not defined by their identities. These and more are the cravings of Nigerians, and these can only be achieved under a new initiative that the SDP offers.” Gabam, then said.
Since his acceptance speech after his emergence as his party’s candidate, 54-year-old Adebayo, has gone ahead to prove across the length and breadth of Nigeria that a new leader has emerged in him for the Nigerian nation with his excellent interactive skill and highly intellectually promising citizens engagement mien.
Often, he has said that it was the turn of Nigerians without food, who graduated without work or hindered from graduating because of strikes to enjoy the dividends of democracy. Reiterating that his party, 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,” Mr Adebayo promised and has proven.
Everywhere he goes, he has urged Nigerians to join the SDP, vote, open their minds, tell others about SDP, and vote out bad leaders in 2023. The SDP Presidential Candidate added that SDP demonstrated that a party could conduct credible convention and that politicians could subdue their personal interest for national development.
On his plans for the country if elected president, “My administration will have zero tolerance for corruption. You cannot be corrupt in my government and if you are corrupt, you are gone.”
“I believe in constitutional amendments, but the constitution is not the reason why we have failure in leadership. you can improve, change, and modernize your car but still get involved in an accident because of a bad driver. We need a new driver in Nigeria.”
“We all agree that the country is moving towards the wrong direction. Making it right is more important to me than generating hashtags and spending money to stimulate artificial support base, who do not know what you stand for and are inconsistent with you”, he said.
Without mincing words, the profile of the SDP Candidate remains impressive and hope – reviving for a country that has been adjudged the best in the African Continent but lacks good leaders with the development mindset to unleash the nation’s full potentials on the global space. The world awaits the emergence of Adebayo Adewole popularly referred to as “AA” by his admirers as the new Nigerian leader come February 2023.
