The Social Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has described the late former Chief of Army Staff, Jeremiah Useni, as “an angel in army uniform.”

Adebayo gave this glowing tribute on Saturday evening when he led a delegation on a condolence visit to the family of the former senator.

Useni, a renowned soldier, politician, and former Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, passed away last month at the age of 82 after a protracted illness.

Useni also served in various capacities, including as Minister of Transport and Senator representing Plateau South.

In his condolence speech, Adebayo praised Useni’s leadership style, describing him as an extraordinary leader with a heart of gold.

He said, “We are here because of our father. We are here to show that we are his children. We are here as SDP, but if you talk to everybody here, they all have a personal relationship with Baba.

“As recently as five weeks ago, I spoke with him, telling him we were coming to see him. He told me he was due for treatment, and we prayed together. He was an angel in army uniform.”

Continuing, the former SDP presidential flag bearer recounted his encounter with Useni when he sought his counsel before running in the 2023 election.

According to him, the veteran soldier neither discouraged him nor regarded him as a minority in the presidential race.

“When I told him that I would be running for president, he didn’t care whether he knew me or not. He granted me several interviews, after which he said, ‘You truly can be president of Nigeria. I will talk to more people about you.’

“But let me tell you from my personal experience: take up the country first. If you don’t get it, don’t make trouble. In my time, I let it be. If it’s God’s time, you will get it. Politics is very difficult for soldiers, but Baba made a smooth transition from being a soldier to a senator.

“On many occasions, people who had done politics with him never left him. When you talk to leaders of the Middle Belt, they always rally around General Useni. When I met General Danjuma, one of the first questions he asked me was, ‘Have you seen Useni?’ That shows how much everybody loved Baba,” Adebayo stated.

Earlier in his condolence message, SDP National Chairman, Shehu Gabam, also described the late army general as a great patriot who gave his all.

“He was somebody who paid his dues. We lost a great man who served this country wholeheartedly. We hold it as a duty to come and sympathise with his family, the military, the nation, and, of course, his constituency, Plateau State.

“Men of his calibre are rare today. Whenever the nation loses people like that, it is deeply painful. For those of us who were around them, we know the kind of sacrifices they made on our behalf. We shall continue along the path of uniting the country, which was one of the things he stood for,” he said.