By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
Fresh from his last week’s emergencr as the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party for the 2027 general election, Prince Adewole Adebayo sets out a sharply defined political and economic agenda centred on social welfare, education reform, and institutional accountability.
In this wide-ranging interview, Adebayo reflects on his emergence as the SDP flag bearer, dismisses concerns about internal divisions within the party, and insists that legal processes must take their course in ongoing disputes involving party officials.
He also responds to allegations of political infiltration and state-backed destabilisation of opposition parties, while outlining what he describes as the SDP’s “kitchen table politics” — a governance philosophy focused on everyday survival issues such as food, transport, healthcare, jobs, and education.
Adebayo did not spare the ruling All Progressives Congress in his criticism, accusing it of weakening institutions, lowering educational standards, and prioritising electoral advantage over governance outcomes.
From his controversial description of student loans as “a crime,” to his warning that poor education policy is producing unemployable youth, Adebayo presents a confrontational but structured critique of Nigeria’s current direction — and positions the SDP as a disciplined ideological alternative ahead of the next general election.
Q. As the presidential candidate in the 2027 elections for the SDP. How does that feel?
A: . It feels good, though challenging. It’s a new opportunity for the country and for the sovereign people of this country who need a good government and a good plan.
Q: But before I get to what the SDP stands for and what your manifesto is going to be, let’s get some of the drama out of the way. Your former national chairman is in court and then they say there’s some kind of rift because there are people who are supporters of Mr. Gabam, and now you have another national chairman. And what’s the plan going forward?
A: Well, I’m in a corner here because I’m a lawyer. Once you start with something being in court, especially someone who is at the risk of losing his liberty and facing a criminal trial, it is unethical for me to comment on it. But I hope the rule of law will work and that there will be political settlement without compromising the need not to encourage criminality or say criminality is politics. I think we should just allow the law to take its course.
Q: Away from the court case itself, has this caused some kind of friction in your party?
A: Not really. From what I know, they are trying to use the disciplinary powers of the party to hold party officials accountable. In doing that, some people won’t be happy about it. Some may even have genuine complaints that certain procedural rights were breached. What we can do is ensure people follow the constitution of the party. If you want to discipline somebody, you have to follow the law, and if you are facing disciplinary action, you have to respect it. If you are not satisfied, you can go to the appellate component of it. Institutions like INEC and the police should not take sides; they should do their own duty.
Q: It was N35m — not to say it’s a small amount of money — but considering everything, why wasn’t this something that could have been sorted within the party? Why did we have to go to court, get someone arrested? Why all of this?
A: I don’t know why it couldn’t have been sorted. As a lawyer, what I can say is that someone is alleged to be involved in several amounts — maybe you’re mentioning just one — and the person has pleaded not guilty in a court of law. What the law expects of me is to presume the person innocent while the accusers provide evidence.
If the law is working the way it should, the person is on bail, attends trial, and politics should not interfere. If we want to solve Nigeria’s problems, we cannot become another Tinubu administration where, through allies, people imply that joining the ruling party wipes away sins. If I take sides in favor of the accused because they are politically useful, it means that when I become president, I might influence law enforcement to protect friends. If I side with the accusers against someone presumed innocent, then I don’t respect the rule of law.
The best thing is to let the law work. Stealing money is not a joke. Breach of trust is not a joke. In the past, people went to prison for 20 naira, while today VIPs loot billions and still receive applause. We should stop that attitude. If money belongs to an institution and you had access to it because of your office, you must be accountable.
Q: Did you speak to those supporters, the ones we saw pulling down the gate of the secretariat?
A. No. For me, it’s the police that are responsible because you don’t escort criminals to go and pull down gates.
Q: Okay, so they came with the police?
A: It’s the police that brought them, and the police used them to pull down the gates because they didn’t want to do it themselves. I wasn’t there, so I’m careful. I only saw what was shown on television because I had finished my screening and left before it happened. The party contacted the Inspector General of Police, who said he would investigate, and also contacted the Commissioner of Police. The last time I spoke with party officials, they said they were giving the IG a few more days to act. If nothing happens, the party will take further action.
Q: . What should the people know about the Social Democratic Party. Talk to us about that and what it stands for when it comes to the Nigerian people.
A: Without sounding too professorial, the SDP is the party that has solutions to your social problems. It’s a party meant for ordinary people. When you wake up in the morning, you think about feeding your family, transport costs, education, food, healthcare, jobs, survival — those are the issues social democratic parties focus on.
That’s why in some countries, they call it the “kitchen table manifesto.” It’s about everyday life. A social democrat won’t wake up and remove subsidy without thinking about the impact on transport, food, housing, jobs, and people’s savings. But if you are APC, your focus is on winning elections and congratulating yourselves afterward.
SDP focuses on social progress. Nigeria is a country where most people are poor and cannot afford basic hygiene, nutrition, education, or safety. You need a political party focused on solving those problems, not one built around ethnicity or religion. We are concerned with how government can help people achieve their aspirations.
We know the education failure rates in many states are terrible, and in some places children don’t go to school at all. Politics should solve these problems. APC treats education and food as personal problems until election season comes around.
Q: First of all, consensus candidate — you didn’t have any opponents. Were there people holding grudges against you in your party?
A: No, I don’t think so. The party understands three things. First, we are facing an incumbent government, so we cannot afford internal struggles. Second, we are fundamentally an ideological party, so it’s not about personality triumphs.
Q: You are from the South West. How do you want to beat Tinubu?
A: I don’t know about Tinubu personally.
Q: A lot of people say it isn’t wise to field someone from the South West against Tinubu, who is also from the South West.
A: We don’t think like that in SDP. A hungry person in the South West is still hungry. Someone buying petrol at outrageous prices won’t care about regional identity. A student taking loans to attend schools with unpaid lecturers and empty laboratories won’t remember that the president is from the South West.
Q: Other political parties have complained about the APC sending moles into their parties to destabilize them. Did SDP experience that?
A: Yes, we are dealing with that. It is the desire of President Tinubu to be the only person in the race. But this is not new. PDP governments also attacked opposition parties during Obasanjo’s era.
Q: Were you able to identify these moles in your party?
A: They will always exist. The important thing is leadership and helping people understand that transactional politics may give temporary benefits, but the long-term consequences are dangerous for the country.
Q: So you don’t want to give details?
A: I don’t run the party directly. I’m the presidential candidate and ambassador of the party, but the party has elected officials who manage operations. My role is ideological and philosophical.
Q: I was looking at some of the things you said you would deliver on, especially education. We are seeing changes in the education system — lower cut-off marks, shortened NCE routes, and so on. Some say this lowers standards, while others say it increases access. What do you think? Would you keep these reforms if elected?
A: These are not reforms; they are deformations. The lowest-quality people are in government, and they want standards to fall because an educated population asks questions and challenges bad governance.
If you look at the controversies around the educational qualifications of some leaders, you’ll see they are producing people like themselves. Education creates critical thinking beyond ethnicity and religion.
Q: There are also conversations about the unemployability of Nigerian youth. How would you tackle that as president?
A: The solution is not difficult. In our time, public schools kept students occupied productively from morning till evening. We had physical education, extracurriculars, prep classes, and exam coaching. Society must occupy young people constructively from childhood.
Q: Would you continue student loans?
A: Student loans are a crime.
Q: The student loans are a crime?
A: Yes. It’s a crime against the constitution and against the people.
Q: So you would remove student loans? Many students are happy about them.
A: No, they are not. Why should students borrow money for education if education is supposed to be free, compulsory, and qualitative? The National Assembly members didn’t take loans for their own education. They enjoyed free education. Education should be free because if you don’t invest in your people, you destroy your society.
You will turn scientists into taxi drivers. You destroy civilization, and insecurity grows because the people who should become innovators are abandoned. That is the kind of society APC is creating.
