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Prince Adewole Adebayo, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, has launched a blistering attack on the administration of President Bola Tinubu, accusing it of economic incompetence, fiscal indiscipline and corruption, while outlining what he described as a practical blueprint for rebuilding Nigeria if elected.
Speaking in an interview, Adebayo argued that Nigeria’s economic woes are rooted in what he called the government’s poor understanding of economic management.
“They have a general case of incompetence. They are not good at doing their job. They genuinely and honestly suffer from economic illiteracy,” he said.
According to him, the administration has failed to implement policies capable of driving broad-based economic growth and improving the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.
“They don’t know what to do to create a multiplier effect that will yield the greatest good for the greatest number of people,” he stated.
Adebayo also accused the government of failing to confront the country’s unemployment crisis with honesty.
“If you have 47 per cent unemployment, you have it. There is no need cooking the numbers. In economics, there is a limit to how many lies you can tell. In politics, it is endless,” he said.
He argued that the government’s claims of improving macroeconomic indicators have not translated into tangible benefits for Nigerians.
“There is no way the macro economy will be good and, 18 months down the line, the micro economy will not be good. Essentially, President Tinubu is wasting his time and wasting the people’s time. He needs to tweak his policies and be much more honest,” Adebayo said.
The SDP presidential candidate further alleged that government revenues were not being properly accounted for, insisting that all public funds should be paid into government accounts and managed transparently.
Asked what he would do differently if elected president in 2027, Adebayo said honesty would be the cornerstone of his administration.
“The first thing I will do is to be honest. The second thing is to govern. You govern the economy through sound fiscal policy,” he said.
He pledged to enforce fiscal discipline, reduce the cost of governance and channel public resources into critical sectors such as housing, healthcare and infrastructure to lower the cost of living and create jobs.
“I will ensure discipline in fiscal policy. We should lower the cost of government and invest in the social rights of Nigerians such as housing, healthcare and basic infrastructure. When you do that, you reduce the cost of living and create employment,” he said.
Adebayo also claimed that international financial institutions had raised concerns over federal revenues allegedly not being fully remitted into the Federation Account and accused the current procurement system of violating the Appropriation Act.
He further promised prudent monetary management, stronger security to boost agricultural production and a zero-tolerance stance on corruption.
“We need to abolish corruption as a matter of policy. This government, with due respect, is too corrupt,” he declared.
On the debate over state policing, Adebayo threw his weight behind the establishment of state police, arguing that states should have authority over law enforcement since they already possess legislative and judicial powers.
“If a state House of Assembly can make criminal laws and the state has its own courts, why should that state not have its own police? It doesn’t make any sense,” he said.
Responding to concerns that governors could abuse state-controlled police, Adebayo said similar fears could be raised about the powers exercised by the President.
“If we don’t trust governors with police, why do we trust the President with the Federal Police? The history of every government is the use of police,” he said.
He maintained that constitutional safeguards already exist to protect citizens from abuse by any level of government and also advocated the creation of local government police to enforce local laws on sanitation, markets and traffic management.
Drawing from his legal practice in the United States, Adebayo cited the New York Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department as examples of professional subnational policing that effectively complements federal law enforcement.
“We need to grow up as a federation. Some state police services may eventually become more professional than the federal police. That is how federal systems work,” he said.
He concluded that Nigeria should focus on building professional, accountable police institutions rather than resisting decentralised policing.
“An abuse is an abuse, whether it is committed by the federal government, a state government or a local government. What we need is professionalism, accountability and respect for the Constitution,” Adebayo said.
