2027: Adebayo urges focus on credible elections not tenure length
The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the coming 2027 general elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has dismissed the growing debate around proposals for a single six-year presidential tenure as a distraction, insisting that electoral credibility, economic competence and security reform should dominate national discourse ahead of 2027.
Speaking on a television programme, Adebayo argued that the country’s real challenge is not the length of time elected officials remain in office but whether elections genuinely reflect the will of voters.
According to him, Nigeria must confront what he described as the persistent problem of electoral credibility and ensure that citizens regain confidence in democratic processes.
“The issue is not whether leaders spend four years or six years in office. The issue is whether the system works and whether voters actually decide who governs,” he said.
Referencing the approach to June 12 commemorations, Adebayo called for what he termed the final defeat of electoral manipulation, stressing that political competition should revolve around ideas and competence rather than internal party disputes or identity politics.
He said his mission was to provide Nigerians with what he called a constitutional and policy-based alternative built around economic recovery, security reforms and social welfare.
Adebayo argued that public attention during previous elections had shifted away from policy debates toward identity considerations, a trend he said prevented voters from scrutinising the implications of government proposals.
On his party’s electoral prospects, the SDP leader rejected suggestions that the party remains politically marginal, insisting that growing public dissatisfaction has increased demand for alternatives.
