Adebayo to Tinubu: Use State Power to End Insecurity or Step Down

Former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take decisive action against insecurity in Nigeria or resign from office.

Speaking at the 2025 National Electoral Reform Summit, Adebayo delivered a hard-hitting address on Nigeria’s governance and democratic challenges, accusing successive administrations of exploiting insecurity for personal gain.

“To that problem,” he said, “President Tinubu can either use the bullets to kill the terrorists or use the pen to resign.”

According to Adebayo, the worsening insecurity in Nigeria is not caused by the incapacity of the armed forces but by political interference and corruption at the highest levels.

“What they are doing now is using insecurity as an excuse to loot public funds,” he said. “The Nigerian military is strong enough to protect the entire West African subregion if allowed to operate freely. But they cannot even secure their own barracks when restrained by corrupt leadership.”

He accused past and current presidents of continuing a pattern of exploiting national crises for personal and political advantage.

Adebayo also criticized the misuse of “sovereignty” as a cover for government failure, arguing that international law does not protect leaders who neglect their citizens.
“Sovereignty does not give you the right to mistreat or abandon your people,” he stated. “When sovereignty conflicts with humanitarian principles, it becomes meaningless.”

Referring to recent comments by former U.S. President Donald Trump on Nigeria’s insecurity, Adebayo expressed appreciation for the global concern but cautioned against politicizing it.
“I thank Mr. Trump for showing interest in Nigeria. He could have ignored us,” he said. “But we must not turn his comments into a religious debate. Whoever wants to help should help all Nigerians.”

He further challenged President Tinubu to restore peace within a month, insisting that Nigeria has the capacity to do so if the political will exists.
“In 30 days, Mr. President, you can stop the killings if you truly want to. You don’t need foreign intervention,” he said.

On the future of democracy, Adebayo warned that the system would lose its legitimacy if it continued to fail the people.
“Democracy must have meaning in people’s lives. Elections should be fair and predictable, if you’re popular, you should win. And if you fail the people, you should lose the next election,” he emphasized.

Adebayo called for comprehensive reforms across all sectors, not just in elections, noting that Nigeria’s democracy faces five major challenges: political opportunism, ignorance of governance, youth frustration, sentimental politics, and public hypocrisy.

He concluded with a strong message to both leaders and citizens:
“Reform or deform, there is no standing still. If we refuse to reform voluntarily, circumstances will force us to change.”