The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has said his administration would tackle poverty, reduce the price of petrol to N200 per liter, and subsidise tractors and fertilisers to make food more affordable and end hunger.
The SDP presidential candidate stated this in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo state, during the public presentation of his presidential blueprint, titled “Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity”, while calling on Nigerians to reject the exploitative government of Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration in Nigeria.
He accused Tinubu of being more interested in remaining in office and amassing wealth than providing effective leadership or addressing the challenges facing Nigerians.
Adebayo also criticised Tinubu’s recent trip to France for medical care and his reported remark, “I enjoyed myself,” on his return, describing it as an insult to Nigerians alleging that the president was not interested in the responsibilities of the office, including supervising ministers and providing essential services such as education and healthcare.
“Tinubu doesn’t want to be your president. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t like the job of president. Tinubu doesn’t want to stay in Aso Rock and serve the people. He doesn’t want to talk to you. He would rather not supervise ministers,” Adebayo said.
“Tinubu is only around because he wants to pack money. That is why he is not struggling for anything. He doesn’t even like the job of president. And he doesn’t want to talk like a president or behave like a president. He is only there because he wants to pack money,” he alleged.
Adebayo further claimed that Tinubu’s initial political ambition was to sponsor candidates for public office and profit from their positions. He alleged that the president later decided to seek the presidency himself after concluding that sponsoring others was not financially rewarding enough.
Tinubu’s business plan before was, “I will be sponsoring people to the office, and I will make a profit out of it.’ Am I worried? Look, the money coming back from sponsoring these people is insufficient. Let me go and do this task by myself,” he said.
Adebayo also alleged that Tinubu was indifferent to Nigerians dying of hunger and described his administration as a punishment for the people while urging voters to look beyond personalities and take responsibility for their political choices, saying the country must break the cycle of electing leaders who fail to meet public expectations.
He warned that allowing Tinubu to remain in office for another year would worsen the country’s economic difficulties. He predicted that petrol could rise to N5,000 per litre and that Nigerians’ purchasing power would decline further.
“Tinubu, if you allow him just four more years, if you allow him just one more year, four things are going to happen. You will buy fuel, petrol, at N5,000 per liter. Because I predicted four years ago that you would buy it at N2,000 per liter. It is getting there,” he said.
The SDP candidate also warned that the country’s economic situation could undermine the dignity of honest labor, as the earnings of artisans, traders, mechanics, and other workers would continue to lose value.
Adebayo, who described Nigeria’s 66 years of independence as an unfulfilled promise for millions of citizens, said political independence had little meaning where people remained hungry, unemployed, sick, and without adequate housing.
“When you have independence on a piece of paper for 66 years and you are hungry, you are sick, you are unemployed, you are without housing, and there is no prospect for your child that you are carrying in your hand, your independence is a lie,” he said.
He also questioned the country’s development trajectory, comparing the progress made since independence with the achievements recorded by the University of Ibadan, which he said was established during the colonial era.
According to him, Nigeria ought to have recorded significantly greater development decades after independence, rather than struggling with challenges that should have been addressed long ago.
The presidential candidate, however, said his presentation was not intended to be another exercise in lamentation but an opportunity to mobilise Nigerians towards rebuilding the country.
Speaking further, Hon. Mulikat Adeola Akande said the party would work to reduce poverty if elected in the 2027 general elections. She urged voters to reject electoral violence and apathy, expressing confidence that the SDP would win the presidential election.
Those present at the event included the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Dr. Usman Bugaje; SDP National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Umar Gombe; National Secretary, Dr. Olu Agunloye; and Oyo State Chairman, Mr. Michael Okunlade, among others.
Packaged by Dare Raji
