Former Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take decisive action against insecurity, warning that genuine electoral reform will only happen when citizens rise to defend their votes.
Speaking at the National Electoral Reforms Summit in Abuja themed “Critical Constitutional Amendments for Credible Elections in 2027,” Adebayo urged Nigerians to stop depending on political rhetoric and compel leaders to make the system work.
“If you don’t say it, nobody will say it. Don’t wait until you’re out of office to speak the truth,” he told participants, adding that token conversations alone cannot bring change.
He said many who talk about electoral reform do so out of self-interest. “Most Nigerians who speak about reform only do so depending on where their stomach is facing,” he noted.
Adebayo stressed that citizens must physically protect their votes and result sheets at polling units, or manipulations will continue.
On insecurity, he issued a stark challenge to the presidency: “If your people are dying in dozens, you’ve already failed your primary assignment of governance. Kill the terrorists, or use the pen to resign.”
He cautioned against foreign interference, saying: “We must not use the Trump intervention as an excuse to deepen our hatred for each other. Any foreign help must be for all Nigerians.”
Describing Nigeria’s political system as broken, Adebayo identified the root causes: self-serving political elites, a disillusioned youth population, and weak, unprincipled parties. “Before you reform INEC, you must reform political parties — they’re the factories that produce leaders,” he said.
He called for mass civic engagement at the grassroots, saying, “If you come out en masse, nobody will write any result or snatch result sheets.”
Adebayo hailed civil society and labour movements for sustaining democratic advocacy, adding that democracy is “an exam you never fully pass.”
Concluding, he urged unity across ethnic and religious divides and called on citizens to “put fire to the feet of government” to ensure security and justice.