The Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration, labeling it a “rudderless” government that has failed in every critical aspect of governance.
In a recent interview on Trust TV’s Daily Politics, Adebayo reacted to the nation’s worsening security situation, insisting that electing President Tinubu was a “big mistake”, lamenting that the government has deteriorated conditions across “all aspects of human life,” from basic security to the economy.
“You can’t fail in every aspect. You fail in security, you fail in the economy, you fail in culture, and you fail in sports. You fail in everything, and you expect that people are going to remark on those failures,” Adebayo stated.
He expressed particular concern over the insecurity in Northern Nigeria, warning that the region is “closer to Somalia than it is to what Nigeria used to be.” He argued that the vast resources of the north are being squandered due to this instability.
“You cannot ‘Afghanistanize’ your own country and expect people to sing your praises,” he said. “You cannot take every index that you meet and make it worse. Unemployment is worse. Inflation is worse. Security is worse. The international profile of the country is worse.”
Adebayo described the Tinubu administration as lacking direction and control, adding “From all indications, the government has lost its map. It’s just waking up every day reacting to any new incident… There is no rational observer who would say this is the trajectory of where the presidency was headed to.”
He compared the government to a ship whose captain has lost his way. “They definitely are in the wilderness. If the captain of a ship cannot find his way to the bridge… then he has no control over the speed of the sail,” Adebayo remarked. He concluded, however, that while the government may be bad, Nigeria itself is a “good country.”
Addressing the government’s accusation that opposition parties are exploiting the nation’s misfortunes for political gain, Adebayo retorted, “If they say we are making capital out of misfortune, then they are producing too many misfortunes. If you think the opposition is taking advantage of your misfortune, then you should reduce the amount of misfortune you have.”
He also weighed in on former US President Donald Trump’s recent characterization of Nigeria as a “disgraced country”, disagreeing with the assessment of the nation but agreed with its assessment of the leadership.
Adebayo added “I don’t agree with President Trump that we’re a disgraced country. What he meant is that the Tinubu administration is a disgraced government. President Tinubu on the international stage represents Nigeria. And his scorecard is disgraceful.”
