••SDP Leader Accuses Presidency of Prioritizing Political Power Over Governance, Citing Economic Mismanagement and Public Resentment.
Prince Adewole Adebayo, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has delivered a scathing critique of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, asserting that the president’s primary concern should be the burgeoning anger of the Nigerian populace, rather than the formation of a potential opposition coalition for the 2027 elections.
In a candid interview, Adebayo dismissed the threat of a unified opposition, highlighting the close personal ties between Tinubu and many coalition members. “He knows the people in the coalition. They are all friends. The real thing that the president should worry about is the resentment of the people and the problems that people are facing in reality,” he stated.
Adebayo accused the Tinubu presidency of prioritizing political consolidation over effective governance, labeling it an “imperial majesty” detached from the realities of everyday Nigerians. “If we are to be fair to the Tinubu government, we should talk about the Tinubu presidency, not the Tinubu administration, because there’s no administration going on,” he declared, emphasizing the lack of tangible policy implementation and economic direction.
He further lambasted the administration’s economic management, citing two consecutive flawed budgets as evidence of incompetence. “They have not been able to write a single good budget. They are not able to get a grip of anything. They are not doing well with employment. They need to know that the tool for dealing with poverty is employment,” Adebayo asserted.
The SDP leader also criticized the government’s student loan program, advocating for a reduction in education costs as a more sustainable solution. “All you need to do is bring the cost of education down, and an average person will be able to go to school without needing a loan. But even with the loan, they are not able to administer it properly. So anything they touch…” he lamented.
Adebayo painted a picture of a presidency more concerned with expanding political influence and business interests than addressing the nation’s pressing needs. “What you see dominating them and the focus of their existence is more power in enlarging their political coasts, enlarging business empires that support that political empire, and continuing to play chess while the house is burning,” he said.
However, he offered a glimmer of praise for Tinubu’s visit to Katsina State to address soldiers fighting insurgency, highlighting the positive impact on troop morale. “The decision of the president to go to Katsina as commander-in-chief, to talk to the service chief and our men and women in uniform, gladdened my heart to no end,” Adebayo acknowledged, urging the president to prioritize such actions over political maneuvering.
Ultimately, Adebayo’s message was a stark warning: “President Tinubu is just not giving good governance. He’s not giving good governance because he’s not giving governance at all.” He stressed that any aspiring leader, including himself, must be committed to delivering tangible results for the Nigerian people, a quality he finds sorely lacking in the current administration.
Adebayo: Tinubu Should Be More Worry About Looming Public Anger, Not Coalition
