Tinubu’s Policies Are Outdated

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader and presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo in this interview with TITILOPE JOSEPH speaks on moves by politicians already discussing 2027, saying that such realignments are necessary to foster a new mentality for effective governance. He however, warns that if Nigerians want to escape their current plight, for the sake of their children and grandchildren they should not vote for Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027. Excerpts: With two years left, isn’t it too early for politicians to focus on the 2027 elections instead of governance? No, it’s not too early, it depends on the activities people are engaging in.

Nigeria is a very big country. I’ve been in Adamawa State, one of the North-East states, while the North- West and North-Central are larger, and the entire South comprises the South East, South West, and South- South. With such diversity and underdeveloped infrastructure, consultation is very important.

Politics is not just elections; you need to engage with party members, communities outside your party, and win people over through persuasion. Every community requires attention as part of the process, providing feedback to the government. For instance, after returning from Adamawa, I received a lot of information.

The government should send people there to listen, as many say this government is not doing well, and we are learning lessons from that. Politicians seem to align with the ruling party wherever they see personal gain, leaving little room for a strong opposition. Does this concern you? We are on course.

It’s hard to hear about SDP members’ crossing over. Those who do have done so for some time and are known for it. In politics, everyone has his or her own mission, and we don’t criticise personal choices.

I only criticise those in government who misuse public funds and facilities. We will never join the ruling party; we remain committed to galvanizing Nigerians for better governance. Following our national chairman, Shehu Musa Gabam, and national secretary, Dr.

Olu Agunleye, our mission is to build a nationwide consensus for governance based on chapter two of the Constitution and our SDP manifest, a vision we’ve held since the Third Republic. We have consistently opposed the government: in 2015 we opposed Jonathan, then Buhari, and now Tinubu. We advocate for good governance, security, welfare, social investment, a balanced economy, a strong Naira, low inflation, and high employment.

We welcome everyone who understands that our platform is about achieving consensus on governance, ensuring that after elections, the people receive the dividends of democracy. Do you think the government’s policies, like tax reform, subsidy removal, and naira floating, differ from reality? What are Nigerians expecting that they aren’t seeing? It is my prayer for Nigerians and Nigeria that President Tinubu turns a new leaf. I hope that the benefits of his painful measures reach the people and that he listens more.

He should not be isolated in his numbers and statistics, believing that this alone helps the economy, when the welfare of the people is its essence. We also hope Nigerians realise that if Tinubu’s government fails to get it right, there is still hope in an alternative platform like ours. I wish President Tinubu success in life and his administration, and I hope he sometimes goes out and hears directly from the people.

While I am not his supporter, I urge him to address the suffering and the delays in his policies. If he persists with his current approach, leaving people behind with his Bretton Woods neoliberal methods, then Nigerians may well embrace the SDP as a better alternative for improving their lives. With post-2023 election disputes across parties like LP, APGA, Accord, and PDP, is the opposition too divided to check the ruling party? Political parties should learn from the SDP.

After our 2022 primaries, no one went to court; those who lost supported my presidential campaign. Though we had grievances about the election process, we didn’t challenge Tinubu, APC, or INEC in court. Instead, we focused on advocacy and strengthening our party.

There is no leadership crisis in SDP under Shehu Gabam. We have contested every governorship election since, including in Kogi, where our candidate pursued justice to the Supreme Court. We didn’t blackmail anyone and have remained engaged.

No SDP leader has sought appointments from Tinubu’s government, we are focused on building our party, uniting Nigerians, and addressing human development challenges. We are not in crisis, aligning with the ruling party, or trying to destabilise anyone. Instead, we are expanding, fostering nationalism, and prioritising real issues over sentiment, ethnicity, or religion.

If other opposition parties adopt this approach, they will be stronger and issue-based. SDP stands by its constitutional promise to ensure security, welfare, and economic growth, and we remain united with no factions. There are rumours that your chairman met with the ex-Governor of Kaduna and other politicians under The Alternatives.

Some believe you should have been there as SDP’s presidential candidate. If there’s no party crisis, does this meeting concern you? He is doing what we elected him to do, win to make the party stronger. A young man with a lot of political experience, he predicted many of today’s crises long before joining the SDP, and he regularly reports back as our number one functionary.

I am playing my own role too. The former Governor El-Rufai of Kaduna, whom he met, is a senior brother, a national asset, one of the few in politics who works for others. I recently met political leaders in the North, some 80 years old and active since the First Republic—while keeping the media outside.

This is not a personal agenda of the national chairman; it is a mission he reports back to the party while consulting with both prominent figures and ordinary Nigerians. It’s not El-Rufai who will save the SDP or the country, it’s the people. Many, even from the ruling party, have asked to be heard.

The SDP is not anti-Tinubu; we are anti–underdevelopment, anti–poverty, anti–insecurity, anti– currency devaluation, anti–lack of transparency, anti–wastefulness, and anti-unemployment issues that Tinubu’s policies have worsened. We have been consistent on these points since Jonathan’s time, and we remain focused on getting our politics right. You said the SDP is not anti-Tinubu, but you are against his policies.

How do you differentiate the man from the policy he makes? Tinubu’s policies are outdated. We began our journey with the SAP by devaluing our currency and taking bold steps. When PDP was in government, they did many good things, but I disagreed with their failure to boost the country’s industrial capacity.

Many privatized enterprises did not function well, leaving our textile industry gone, agriculture in shambles, and our petroleum industry only now restarting after two decades. It doesn’t matter who is in power; our criticism remains the same. Many are disappointed that President Tinubu hasn’t delivered as expected, which is why I opposed him, ran against him, and will run again if given the chance.

Speaking against traffic jams, hunger, or poor grades doesn’t mean you hate the people responsible, it simply means these issues should not exist. President Tinubu’s wrong-headed policies are making many Nigerians poor and leaving millions behind, despite massive public spending that fails to improve welfare. Even when he campaigned against these issues in opposition, I believe he should not be satisfied with the current state.

I believe he’s struggling to right these wrongs, but our duty is to offer alternatives, valuable options he is not considering. Historically, his methods have never worked, so I’m preparing Nigerians for a better alternative. I pray for him every day because his actions affect our security, welfare, and progress.

However, it is my duty to point out his mistakes and propose a better path. When the opportunity arises, Nigerians should walk away from Tinubu, APC, and their policies for the sake of their children and grandchildren. Consider the SDP and our platform—there is no enmity in that.

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