By David Odama
Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2027 general elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has blamed Nigeria’s worsening economic and security challenges on bad governance, weak institutions and a political class more focused on winning elections than solving the country’s problems.
Adebayo stated this at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he joined other presidential candidates to present his vision for governing Nigeria.
He said Nigerians were less interested in the political fortunes of individual politicians than in having a government capable of improving their living conditions.
According to him, elections conducted since 1999 had failed to deliver the fundamental changes Nigerians expected, insisting that the country needed a new political direction anchored on the Constitution and its Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy.
Adebayo said the SDP rejected politics based on ethnic or religious rotation, money and political calculations, arguing that competence and commitment to national development should determine who governs Nigeria.
He disclosed that the party had previously held discussions with some professional politicians seeking a coalition, but the talks broke down over ideological differences.
“We discovered three things. One, that they don’t care about ideology; they just want to win and figure it out later,” he said.
Subsidy Debate No Longer Relevant
On fuel subsidy, Adebayo said the debate over its removal had become largely academic, insisting that the priority should now be ensuring affordable petroleum products and a stable exchange rate.
He recalled that the SDP had opposed the removal of subsidy and warned of the hardship that could follow.
He likened the situation to removing a patient’s appendix, arguing that the country could not simply reverse the procedure.
According to him, government should concentrate on reducing energy costs through sustainable measures rather than returning to the old subsidy regime.
Insecurity, Governance Interlinked
On insecurity, the SDP candidate alleged that political and economic interests were benefiting from kidnapping, illegal mining and other criminal activities.
He argued that increasing security spending alone would not solve the problem without addressing the networks allegedly profiting from insecurity.
“If you remove these politicians who you keep re-electing, they will go away, and their terrorist partners will go away,” he alleged.
Adebayo also called for reforms in the Office of the National Security Adviser and a major restructuring of the armed forces to create what he described as a “people’s army” capable of responding effectively to threats facing communities.
On the farmer-herder crisis, he rejected the portrayal of the conflict as simply a clash between farmers and herders.
“I am a herder myself. I have close to one million cattle, and I’ve not killed anybody before,” he said.
He called for stronger regulation of the mining sector and proper identification of miners to ensure accountability for crimes committed in mining areas.
Adebayo Backs State Police
Adebayo also threw his weight behind state police, saying states should have the capacity to enforce laws within their constitutional jurisdictions.
He argued that state governments should not always depend on Abuja to apprehend criminals operating within their territories.
He further presented his “Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity” campaign slogan as a commitment to tackling Nigeria’s economic and security challenges together.
Adebayo maintained that poverty and insecurity were interconnected and could only be addressed through better governance, accountability, economic production and institutional reform.
He identified democratic elections, governance according to law and approved appropriations, and accountability as principles that should guide every government.
On food security, he advocated increased investment in agriculture and reduced dependence on imports, describing himself as a net producer of agricultural products.
He urged Nigerians to carefully examine the records, programmes and governing philosophies of political parties and candidates before voting in 2027.
“Your choice is to vote candidates and parties according to what they present to you,” he said.
