Tinubu’s ‘Dictatorship’ May Kill Nigeria’s Democracy – Says SDP Candidate, Adebayo

The 2027 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has warned that Nigeria’s democracy could be in danger if what he described as President Bola Tinubu’s ‘dictatorship’ continues.

Adebayo raised the alarm while speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show programme on Wednesday, where he discussed the state of the nation and the challenges confronting the country, Naija News reports.

According to him, issues such as fuel subsidy are not at the heart of Nigeria’s current problems, arguing that the survival of democracy should be the major concern.

Adebayo said the country could lose its democratic system if Nigerians are unable to guarantee free, fair and credible elections.

He also blamed growing voter apathy on the failure of political actors to present Nigerians with a convincing alternative and a clear vision of what the country could become.

“What I know is that subsidy and some of these issues are not central to the challenges the country is facing. The real challenge is democracy itself,” he said.

The SDP candidate further warned that democracy could collapse if the situation he described as the “burden” of Tinubu’s dictatorship was allowed to persist.

“Democracy may end if we allow the burden of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s dictatorship to continue,” Adebayo stated.

He stressed that restoring confidence in the electoral process remained crucial to sustaining democracy, noting that Nigerians must be given credible choices during elections.

Adebayo also said there were more areas of agreement than disagreement on the issues affecting the country, suggesting that political stakeholders could work together to address Nigeria’s challenges.

He maintained that presenting a clear alternative to voters was necessary to reverse voter apathy and strengthen democratic participation.

Meanwhile, the National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has expressed strong belief that the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, will defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.

He argued that the 2027 elections would be different from the 2023 elections because Nigerians would have known Tinubu for four years going into the elections and would judge him based on his performance in office.

The ADC spokesperson, who spoke during an interview on TVC News’ Beyond the Headlines on Tuesday, said Nigerians have suffered enough under the Tinubu administration and would not support him for a second term.

According to him, Tinubu was a presidential candidate in 2023 but would approach the 2027 election as an incumbent whose record would be judged by voters.

He argued that the cost-of-living crisis and other economic issues would play a far greater role in determining the forthcoming election than they did in 2023.