Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2027 election, Adewole Adebayo, has declared that Nigeria is yet to attain true democracy, insisting that the country is merely operating a civilian government while core democratic values remain absent.
Speaking with newsmen after the Democracy Day celebration, Adebayo lamented that despite over two decades of uninterrupted civilian rule, accountability, rule of law, credible elections and citizens’ welfare have remained weak.
According to him, Nigeria’s problems have continued to worsen while democratic freedoms are shrinking.
“Since 1993, only two things have changed — our problems have become bigger, and our democratic space has become smaller,” he said.
The SDP stalwart warned that rising poverty and insecurity could plunge the country into deeper crises if urgent steps are not taken.
“Poverty has grown and given birth to insecurity. If we fail to address both, they may eventually give rise to instability, revolution, or even genocide,” Adebayo warned.
On President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, Adebayo said many Nigerians were yet to feel the impact of government policies, stressing that leaders must focus on solving present challenges rather than making promises about the future.
“A president is elected for the present, not the future. Hungry people cannot eat in the future. Children of school age cannot go to school in the future. Security problems cannot wait,” he stated.
He further dismissed claims that the current administration is implementing reforms, arguing that policy changes without tangible results cannot be described as reforms.
“There are no reforms. Renaming problems is not reform. Increasing taxes and calling it tax reform is not reform,” he said.
Adebayo also criticised the state of government-owned refineries, insisting that promised improvements in the petroleum sector had yet to translate into meaningful outcomes.
The former presidential candidate accused political leaders of becoming increasingly disconnected from the people, saying effective governance requires leaders to listen as much as they speak.
“The president speaking to the people is good, but the president listening to the people is more important,” he said.
He urged public office holders to engage Nigerians more regularly and provide explanations on government policies and decisions.
On electoral reforms, Adebayo called for constitutional amendments to guarantee the full independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He argued that the power of appointing electoral commissioners should be removed from politicians.
“INEC cannot be truly independent when politicians appoint those running it,” he said.
He also advocated real-time transmission of election results and improvements in voting procedures to curb manipulation and restore public confidence in elections.
Speaking on insecurity, Adebayo questioned the effectiveness of huge defence budgets in the face of persistent attacks across the country.
He called for greater transparency and accountability in defence spending, insisting that the real issue is whether allocated funds reach the armed forces and are properly utilised.
“The issue is not just budgeting money for defence; it is whether the money reaches the armed forces and is properly utilised,” he stated.
Adebayo also faulted the reintegration of repentant terrorists, saying Nigerians deserve stronger and more effective security measures.
Despite his criticisms, he expressed optimism that Nigeria’s challenges can be overcome if leaders place citizens’ welfare above political interests.
“These are problems we can overcome, but leadership must be willing to do what is right,” he said.
