By Osaretin Osadebamwen
The 2027 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for failing to personally attend the signing of an electoral peace accord, saying the President’s absence sends a wrong signal about his commitment to peaceful, free and credible elections.
Adebayo said the President, as the country’s highest political authority, has a responsibility to lead by example, particularly on an issue as critical as electoral peace.
Speaking during a television interview, the presidential candidate of the SDP argued that the President’s presence at the peace accord would have demonstrated to political parties, candidates, security agencies and Nigerians that the government was serious about preventing violence during elections.
“President Tinubu not showing up today is showing that he’s not committed to peace,” Adebayo said.
According to him, the President’s absence could influence the attitude of officials and security personnel working under his administration.
“He’s sending a wrong signal to law enforcement, people who work for the government, that the president looks like he’s not committed enough,” he said.
Adebayo urged Tinubu to address the concerns created by his absence by publicly explaining why he did not attend and reaffirming his commitment to peaceful elections.
“He needs to correct that by making a clear statement, explaining why he’s absent, and making sure that he makes a statement, commit himself to the peace,” he said.
The SDP candidate rejected the argument that the President could have been prevented from attending by pressing matters of state or national security.
Responding to the suggestion that Tinubu might have been held up by state duties, Adebayo argued that ensuring the continuity of democracy itself should rank among the country’s most important national-security concerns.
“There’s no more national security than the continuity of the state,” he declared.
He said a free, fair and credible election was fundamental to the survival of democratic government, stressing that the electoral process was what gave political leaders their legitimacy.
“It is this process that made him president, process of election,” Adebayo said, adding that the President should therefore demonstrate personal commitment to protecting the same process.
Adebayo further argued that Tinubu’s attendance would have provided an important leadership signal to political actors and security agencies ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“It is good for you as a leader to signal that we believe in a society, we believe in peace as a process,” he said.
He also questioned why the President would fail to attend an event for which, according to him, arrangements had reportedly been made to accommodate his schedule.
“Everything was made to accommodate the president, including timing, including date, and he gave word that he was going to be there,” Adebayo claimed.
The SDP candidate described the commitment to electoral peace as more than a ceremonial exercise, saying political leaders must personally demonstrate the values they expect from other participants in the electoral process.
“It’s something that is personal to you because you are the one elected, you are the one who will commit,” he said.
Adebayo also framed the matter as a moral responsibility arising from the President’s constitutional position.
“It is a moral issue, not a legal issue,” he said, while arguing that the President has a constitutional mandate to provide moral leadership.
He said Tinubu, upon assuming office on May 29, 2023, pledged to respect the Nigerian Constitution and should therefore demonstrate commitment to constitutional democratic principles, including credible elections.
The SDP candidate further raised concerns about the consequences of electoral violence, questioning the credibility of a system in which Nigerians could lose their lives during elections.
He argued that the President should use the peace process to reassure Nigerians that incidents of violence witnessed during previous elections would not be repeated.
Adebayo particularly called for the President to assure Nigerians that what happened in Osogbo would not recur, describing such a commitment as necessary to restore confidence in the electoral process.
He said the President’s participation would have carried considerable symbolic weight because prominent Nigerians involved in the peace process could potentially play important national roles.
For Adebayo, the controversy surrounding Tinubu’s absence therefore goes beyond whether the President attended a particular event. It raises, in his view, a broader question about the willingness of the country’s political leadership to personally champion peaceful elections.
He maintained that Nigeria needs a president who will actively demonstrate that peace, credible elections and democratic continuity are priorities.
The SDP presidential candidate’s comments come as political activities ahead of the 2027 elections intensify, with parties and aspirants expected to begin wider mobilisation and campaigns.
Adebayo insisted that the success of the electoral process would depend not only on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but also on the conduct and commitment of political leaders.
For him, the President’s role is particularly significant because the tone set by the nation’s leader can influence the conduct of government institutions and political actors throughout the electoral process.
