Onyekachi Eze 
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has advised President Bola Tinubu to focus on addressing the growing resentment among Nigerians rather than worrying about potential political coalitions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Adebayo said the president is politically experienced and knows that the coalition poses no real threat to his presidency.
“He knows the people in the coalition; they are all friends. There are countless pictures of them with the president. The real concern should be the anger of the people and the hardship they are facing—not coalitions putting up billboards,” he said.
He accused Tinubu of abandoning governance for politics, stating that what exists under Tinubu is not an administration but a “presidency.”
“If we are to be honest, it’s the Tinubu presidency, not an administration. What we have is an imperial majesty occupying the presidency. They’ve formed a circle around the president at the State House, but there’s no real governance,” Adebayo said.
He criticized the administration’s failure to present a viable national budget for two years in a row, noting that the second budget was even worse than the first.
“They’ve now done two budgets, and the latest one is worse than the previous. They lack a grip on anything. They’re not doing well with employment either. The real tool for fighting poverty is employment,” he stated.
On the student loan programme, Adebayo said it misses the mark. Instead of offering loans, he argued, the government should reduce the cost of education to improve access.
“I don’t support the student loan scheme. What they need to do is make education affordable. Even with the loan, they can’t administer it properly,” he said.
Adebayo described the Tinubu presidency as more focused on consolidating political power than governing.
“This is not a government; it’s a political movement in power. Their priority is capturing more governors, senators, and political parties. They are playing political chess while the nation burns.”
However, he commended Tinubu for visiting troops in Katsina to boost morale, describing it as a rare positive move.
“That visit made me happy. That’s time he could have spent dining with political manipulators. But he went to encourage the troops. The armed forces felt seen. That’s leadership,” he said.
Adebayo said Nigeria needs visible leadership and economic managers, not disguised campaign fundraisers.
“Anyone—including myself—who wants to be president must be ready to deliver good governance. If Tinubu were doing that, I’d be happy. But he’s not. In fact, he isn’t governing at all,” he added.
