President Bola Tinubu has been described as one of the worst in a line of lawless Nigerian leaders.
Adewole Adebayo, presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), made the accusation.
He spoke during a television interview.
According to the SDP candidate, the problem runs deeper than the current administration. He said a series of Nigerian presidents have failed to implement the Constitution.
“President Tinubu is one of the worst in the series of lawless presidents who don’t implement the Constitution,” Adebayo said.
Two areas were singled out by the candidate.
He pointed to Section 162 of the Constitution, which deals with the Federation Account and how revenue is shared among the three tiers of government. Non-compliance with the Appropriation Act was his other complaint.
Beyond his criticism, Adebayo also spoke about his plans for the country.
His campaign programme is titled “Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity”. It targets a reduction in poverty and an improvement in security across the country.
Wider access to food, housing, education, healthcare and jobs also forms part of the plan.
Cooperative federalism is another idea he is pushing.
Under the arrangement, the federal, state and local governments would work together on development projects. Adebayo said such cooperation should cover roads, education, healthcare, agriculture and security.
Party differences, in his view, should not stand in the way of that cooperation.
On the 2027 election, the candidate struck a different note from other contenders.
He said he would accept another opposition candidate if a credible process produced one.
“Presidency is not an inheritance; it’s an office that every Nigerian can aspire to,” Adebayo said.
Criticism of the Tinubu administration has become a regular feature of his campaign.
Earlier this week, he said the welfare of Nigerians was the last thing on the minds of those in government. He blamed the failure to tackle poverty, insecurity, unemployment and power outages on the absence of people-centred policies.
At an event in Abuja, the candidate also accused political office holders of taking the country’s oil wealth abroad.
Adebayo unveiled the SDP manifesto on September 8 in Abuja.
He returned unopposed as the party’s presidential candidate in May and also flew its flag in the 2023 election.
