The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 general election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approach to governance, blaming him for the continued killings in Plateau and Benue States.
Speaking during an exclusive interview with DAILY POST at his wife, Queen Lilian Adebayo’s 50th birthday celebration in Abuja on Monday, Adebayo lamented the renewed violence in the Middle Belt, describing it as a stark indication of the Tinubu administration’s failure in handling national security.
“What shocked me about Nigerians is that they are shocked about President Tinubu,” Adebayo remarked. “We knew from the beginning that these people take elections seriously, not governance. The first duty of a president and commander-in-chief is to protect the nation. What is happening in Plateau and Benue is a national disgrace.”
He called on President Tinubu to urgently revamp the country’s security framework to tackle the growing insecurity, particularly in vulnerable regions ravaged by violence and insurgency.
“I personally don’t like to politicise security. But it is disappointing what is happening. The president must get serious and take decisive action,” he added.
Adebayo also urged Nigerians to become the true opposition by standing against bad leadership and demanding accountability.
In support of his statement, Hon. Femi Olaniyi Ferrari, Lagos State Chairman of the SDP and Chairman of Chairmen, said the current administration has failed to deliver on its promises.
“We asked for change, but the change has shortchanged us,” Ferrari said. “The SDP remains a viable platform through which Nigerians can reclaim the country from failed leadership.”
The criticism comes amid growing unrest in Plateau and Benue States. Just this week, Christian leaders in Plateau, led by the state CAN Chairman, Rev. Polycarp Lubo, staged a protest against ongoing attacks in Bokkos and Bassa LGAs, where over 100 lives have been lost in the past two weeks alone.
Similarly, Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, recently raised the alarm, stating that the state is “under siege” from armed herdsmen and rapidly losing control of large swathes of land.
As the violence persists, pressure mounts on the federal government to take decisive steps to restore peace and security across the affected regions.
