By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The leader and presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 general election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has called for a decisive political change ahead of 2027 following Nigeria’s latest ranking on the global corruption index.
Adebayo’s reaction came shortly after the Transparency International (TI)
released the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), ranking Nigeria 142nd out of 182 countries and territories.
The country retained a score of 26 out of 100 but slipped two places from its 2024 ranking of 140th, extending what observers describe as a decade-long stagnation in anti-corruption performance.
In a tweet, in response to the report, Adebayo lamented that Nigeria remains one of the most corrupt countries in the world, noting that the nation’s score has shown no improvement in more than ten years.
“Nigeria has ranked once more as one of the most corrupt countries in the world with no improvement on last year’s rankings per anti-corruption findings. In fact, as a nation our score has not improved in more than a decade,” he said.
The SDP leader argued that corruption lies at the root of the country’s socio-economic challenges, linking it directly to poverty and insecurity.
“The fact remains that if we eliminate corruption, we eliminate poverty and insecurity,” Adebayo stated, stressing that systemic graft has held the nation back for too long.
He urged Nigerians to rally behind the SDP ahead of the 2027 general election, saying the country needs a government that is genuinely committed to tackling corruption at all levels.
“In 2027 we need a government capable of actually committing to eliminating corruption at all levels which has held us back as a nation for too long. I urge everyone to join the SDP movement so that we can finally say #farewelltopoverty once and for all,” he added.
Under Transparency International’s methodology, CPI scores range from 0, indicating a highly corrupt public sector, to 100, representing very clean governance.
Nigeria’s persistent score of 26 underscores continued concerns about transparency, accountability, and public sector integrity.
Adebayo’s remarks are expected to intensify political debate as parties begin early positioning ahead of the 2027 elections, with corruption and economic hardship likely to remain central campaign issues.
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