Former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has issued a blunt challenge to President Bola Tinubu — use the full powers of the state to end insecurity or resign.
Speaking at the 2025 National Electoral Reform Summit in Abuja, Adebayo accused the government of hiding behind insecurity to loot public funds while citizens continue to die needlessly.
“To that problem,” he declared, “President Tinubu can either use the bullets to kill the terrorists or use the pen to resign.”
According to him, Nigeria’s security failures stem not from military weakness but from political corruption and misplaced priorities.
“The Nigerian armed forces can protect the entire West African subregion if allowed to do their job,” Adebayo said. “But they cannot even protect their own barracks because those in power won’t let them.”
He described Nigeria’s leadership class as complicit in perpetuating insecurity for profit.
“What they are doing now is using insecurity as an excuse to loot the treasury. Every president since 1999 has done the same thing — using people’s suffering as cover for corruption,” he alleged.
Adebayo also stressed that sovereignty does not absolve leaders of responsibility to their citizens:
“Sovereignty is not a license to neglect your people. Under international law, sovereignty that conflicts with humanitarian duty will be ignored.”
Referring to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments on killings in Nigeria, Adebayo said, “We should thank Trump for even noticing us. But his concern shouldn’t become a Christian-Muslim debate. Help must be for every Nigerian.”
He challenged President Tinubu to act immediately:
“If the President decides today that no Nigerian should die needlessly again, he can restore order in 30 days. It doesn’t take America to do that — it takes will.”
Adebayo warned that democracy would continue to lose meaning unless it improves people’s lives.
“Democracy must have substance — fairness, predictability, and service to the people. When leaders fail to deliver, citizens must demand accountability.”
He said Nigeria needs reform not only in elections but across every sphere of governance.
“Talking about electoral reform is good, but we also need moral reform, institutional reform, and leadership reform. Without them, democracy will remain empty.”
Adebayo identified five cancers eating Nigeria’s democracy — political opportunism, ignorance, youth frustration, sentimental politics, and citizens’ hypocrisy — insisting that reform is non-negotiable.
“Reform or deform — nature doesn’t allow stagnation,” he concluded. “If leaders refuse to reform, the system itself will deform them.”