*Urges Nigerians To Use Freedom Before It’s Taken Away
THE Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate for next year’s general elections, Adewole Adebayo, has criticised the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of deepening hardship, weakening institutions and transforming governance into a system driven by personal and elite enrichment, warning that Nigeria’s most serious crisis is the erosion of democratic freedom, which he said is being replaced by creeping authoritarianism.
“Because we are hungry, we are homeless, we are jobless, we are without peace, we are without leadership. Those are big problems we have.
“But we have a bigger problem: The little freedom we have is about to be taken away from us. Use your freedom while you still have it. Use your freedom to give yourself multi-party democracy,” he said.
In his acceptance speech after his recent affirmation at the party’s convention in Bauchi, Adebayo warned that Nigeria stood at a historic crossroads ahead of the elections, which he described as a battle for Nigeria’s survival, democratic identity and national dignity.
He accusing the President of political overreach and economic mismanagement, adding: “Tinubu is not satisfied to be the presidential candidate of APC. He wants to be the presidential candidate of APC, PDP, Labour Party, SDP, NYSC, even your birthday party.
“As your President, he sees you as commodities to buy and sell. He is the number one businessman using government power to amass wealth for himself and his cronies.”
Adebayo attributed the current economic crisis in the country to policy decisions taken, especially at the onset of the Tinubu administration, noting: “Somebody who did not win election… came there and said, ‘Subsidy is gone.’
“At that moment, I knew Tinubu’s chance of succeeding was gone.”
He lamented that subsidy savings had not translated into development, saying: “Trillions of naira subsidy savings have disappeared. He has borrowed more money than we have borrowed since independence, tet cannot pay contractors and cannot account for the money.
“Every day, tax, tax, tax, tax. I am not an enemy of Tinubu; I am an enemy of poverty, and poverty is Tinubu’s friend. I am an enemy of corruption, and corruption is his profession. I am an enemy of injustice, injustice is his hobby.
“I am an enemy of autocracy. And no greater tyrant is around than Tinubu.
“Every government we knew had cardinal points. What is Tinubu’s cardinal point? Snatch, grab and run away with it.”
He argued that Nigeria must return to leadership focused on public welfare rather than elite accumulation, noting that poor governance has contributed to insecurity, infrastructure collapse and social instability, as “politics determines whether you sleep well at home.”
Adebayo also unveiled his vision for Nigeria, saying his administration would implement “500 programmes” to reduce poverty and unemployment, driven by industrial revival, infrastructure expansion and job creation.
The SDP candidate proposed free, compulsory and continuous education at all levels, pledging a national health system where every Nigerian is insured through their National Identification Number (NIN), integrate housing estates, staff schools and industrial clusters into national development planning, while restoring Nigeria’s territorial integrity and eliminating insecurity through a restructured and empowered military.
He accused the current leadership of failing in its constitutional duty to protect citizens, linking governance failure to insecurity and national instability.
Adebayo uged unity among opposition parties and civic actors ahead of the polls, saying: “I appeal to all opposition elements in Nigeria, not just politicians, but anyone who opposes corruption, tribalism, and injustice, come together. Power belongs to the people of Nigeria.”
He charged Nigerians to reject voting based on ethnicity, religion, personalties, emotional or identity-based voting, but vote for competenc
