Scrutinise programmes of candidates before voting in 2027 – Adebayo tells Nigerians

…calls for competence not empty promises

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has called on Nigerians to scrutinise the programmes and records of political parties and candidates before voting in 2027, saying the country’s future ultimately depended on the quality of choices made by the electorate.

Adebayo who made the call on Monday at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said Nigeria’s crisis is largely rooted in bad governance, weak institutions and a political class more focused on winning elections than solving the country’s problems.

On the contentious issue of fuel subsidy, Adebayo said Nigerians should stop dwelling on whether the subsidy should be removed, arguing that what the country needed was a sustainable supply of petroleum products at affordable prices and a stable exchange rate.

He recalled that the SDP had warned against the removal of subsidy and predicted the hardship that would follow.

Adebayo said the current situation had validated the party’s position, arguing that the subsidy debate had become largely academic because the policy had already been dismantled.

Addressing the persistent farmer-herder conflict, Adebayo rejected what he described as a simplistic portrayal of the crisis as a clash between farmers and herders.

He argued that the government should focus on identifying the real beneficiaries of violence and illegal exploitation of Nigeria’s natural resources.

Adebayo proposed stronger regulation of the mining sector, arguing that miners should be properly identified and held responsible for criminal activities occurring within territories where they operate.

He also called for reforms to the Office of the National Security Adviser and a fundamental reorganisation of the armed forces.