Banner Online News

By Banneronlinenews Correspondent 

Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has thrown down the gauntlet to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election, challenging him to a public debate and demanding an account of his administration’s handling of the nation’s resources.

Adebayo issued the challenge in Abuja on Tuesday while unveiling the SDP’s 2027–2031 manifesto, titled “Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity,” in which he promised to defeat insecurity within four years if elected president.

The SDP candidate also pledged to tackle poverty and unemployment, overhaul the power sector, expand domestic refining capacity and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported goods.

But the sharpest moment of the event came when Adebayo directly challenged Tinubu to a public debate, insisting that Nigerians deserved to hear from those seeking their mandate what they had done with the resources entrusted to them.

“The first challenge is thrown to President Bola Tinubu to move in, come out of hiding, come and debate. Anyone who wants to keep his job should be able to answer his bosses,” Adebayo said.

He further demanded answers on government finances and the benefits of economic reforms.

“Where have you been in the past four years? What have you been doing? Where is the money? Where is the money you saved from subsidies that never existed? Where are the trillions for security? Where is the CNG? Where is electricity?”

Adebayo said the 2027 contest should not degenerate into another battle of ethnic identities, personalities and political insults, but should instead be a contest between competing ideas and measurable policy alternatives.

He described the SDP manifesto as a roadmap for moving Nigeria away from a political culture driven largely by personalities and promises to one based on measurable targets, accountability and results.

75,000MW Power Target

At the centre of the manifesto is an ambitious plan to raise Nigeria’s electricity generation capacity to 75,000 megawatts.

Adebayo said the target would be pursued through a combination of gas, solar, hydroelectric power, decentralised generation, mini-grids and embedded power.

He argued that Nigeria could not seriously aspire to industrialisation while planning its electricity needs around 10,000MW or 20,000MW.

“For now, any presidential candidate who is not giving you a plan for 50,000 megawatts is behind the time. Nigeria has passed the age where we need 10,000 megawatts or 20,000 megawatts,” he said.

The SDP candidate said the proposed 75,000MW would not depend solely on the national grid, as decentralised generation would be deployed to serve communities and economic clusters.

He identified gas as one of Nigeria’s major strategic advantages while proposing increased investment in solar and other renewable energy sources.

Adebayo also promised simultaneous reforms in electricity generation, transmission, distribution and energy procurement, arguing that increasing generation alone would not resolve Nigeria’s power crisis without corresponding improvements in transmission and distribution.

The manifesto further proposes local manufacturing of solar equipment and other energy components to reduce import dependence, create jobs and support industrial growth.

SDP Promises Four Public, 36 Modular Refineries

On the petroleum sector, Adebayo promised that an SDP government would establish four functional public refineries and 36 modular refineries, while encouraging private investors to establish additional facilities.

He said the policy would strengthen domestic refining, reduce dependence on imported petroleum products and bring down fuel costs.

Adebayo has also proposed a petrol price of about N200 per litre, arguing that Nigerians should not be forced to pay international prices for petroleum products when their incomes are not at international levels.

He said Nigeria had enough crude oil to meet domestic requirements and should stop exporting crude only to import refined petroleum products.

‘We Will Defeat Insecurity’

On security, Adebayo promised to defeat insecurity within four years through a combination of stronger security institutions, better governance, economic productivity and national cohesion.

He said an SDP government would reclaim territories controlled by terrorists and criminal groups and dismantle the economic networks that sustain criminal activities.

According to him, the strategy would combine kinetic operations with non-kinetic measures designed to address the economic and social conditions that fuel insecurity.

Adebayo argued that government already knew many of the areas where terrorists and criminal groups operated, insisting that the greater challenge was the political will and institutional capacity to confront them decisively.

He also criticised the continued exploitation of ethnic and regional divisions, urging Nigerians to stop seeing fellow citizens as enemies.

“We will solve our problems from here,” he declared.

‘Four Years Is Enough’

Rejecting the notion that Nigeria needs decades to overcome its problems, Adebayo said four years of determined leadership could significantly transform the country.

“Four years is enough for a determined leader to help his people. Forty years is not enough for barrages and thieves to steal your drive,” he said.

He said the SDP manifesto was not intended to be treated as the exclusive property of the party, arguing that any government genuinely committed to solving Nigeria’s problems could adopt and implement its proposals.

“When you have a policy document that works, it will work if SDP retains it. It will work if APC retains it. It will work if Accord retains it. Anybody who implements it, it will work,” he said.

The manifesto also prioritises education, human development, infrastructure, agriculture, domestic production, investment and value addition.

Adebayo said Nigeria must abandon its excessive dependence on imports and create conditions for local businesses to produce more goods and services.

‘Security, Productivity, Prosperity’

SDP National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe, said the manifesto was built around three interconnected pillars: security, productivity and prosperity.

“Without security there can be no meaningful production. Without production there can be no sustainable prosperity. And without prosperity, democracy cannot fully deliver on its promise,” Gombe said.

He said the primary responsibility of government was to guarantee security, welfare and advancement for citizens, warning against treating public office as private property.

Also speaking at the event, Prophet Isa El-Buba endorsed Adebayo and urged Nigerians seeking political change to move beyond speeches and become active participants in the political process.

El-Buba said he had studied both Adebayo and the SDP manifesto and was convinced that the candidate offered a credible pathway to addressing the country’s challenges.

He urged supporters to take the campaign to the grassroots and persuade voters on the strength of the SDP programme rather than through inducements.

“After this moment is no longer speeches; it’s action time,” he said.