{
  "id": 8040198,
  "title": "Adebayo to Youth: Stop Talking, Take Politics to Polling Units",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/adebayo-to-youth-stop-talking-take-politics-to-polling-units",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-17T14:06:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "This Day",
    "slug": "this-day",
    "url": "https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/09/17/adebayo-to-youth-stop-talking-take-politics-to-polling-units/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Prince Adewole Adebayo, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), addressed Nigerian youths and young professionals on Thursday, urging them to actively participate in the country's political process. According to Adebayo, Nigeria's economic, security, and developmental challenges are man-made and can be addressed through purposeful leadership, unity of purpose, and competence. He emphasized that politics must move beyond intellectual discourse and be taken directly to the grassroots where electoral decisions are made. Adebayo urged the youths to reject political mobilization based on religion, ethnicity, gender, or region, stating that sustainable solutions cannot emerge from a system that intentionally excludes any part of the country. He highlighted that Nigeria possesses the necessary human and natural resources for development and has no natural barriers preventing prosperity. The SDP candidate argued that the central challenge facing Nigeria is the lack of a structured system for producing leaders capable of working towards a common national objective, drawing an analogy with the legal profession's training process. He described political parties as the \"university\" where leaders should be developed and prepared for public service. Adebayo emphasized that national progress requires a shared philosophy rather than the pursuit of individual brilliance. He urged the youths to make the principles set out in Chapter Two of the Nigerian Constitution, which outlines the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy, central to their political engagement. The presidential candidate warned against political disengagement due to frustration with the current system, stating that intelligence, education, and professional accomplishments alone would not have a significant political impact without translating into grassroots mobilization and civic participation. He stressed that politics is not a game of words but a game of the heart, urging the young professionals to take the message to their communities and demonstrate a unified purpose in addressing the contemporary challenges facing Nigeria and West Africa.",
  "summary": "* SDP presidential candidate says Nigeria’s problems are man-made * Urges young professionals to reject religious, ethnic and regional politics Sunday Aborisade in Abuja The presidential candidate of the Social",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}