By Osaretin Osadebamwen
The 2027 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adebayo Adewole, has called on President Bola Tinubu to take responsibility for the political atmosphere in Nigeria and urgently discourage violence as the country approaches the 2027 general elections.
Adewole made the call while speaking on the political situation in Osun State, where he expressed concern over alleged violence, intimidation and what he described as the politicisation of law enforcement.
He was the guest on The Morning Show on Thursday.
He urged Tinubu, who is also the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to send a clear message to his supporters that political victory should not be pursued through violence.
“I call on President Bola Tinubu to be a responsible head of state and a responsible party leader, and to make sure that all across Nigeria, he sends a signal to his supporters that all is not fair in politics, and all is not fair even in war,” Adewole said.
The SDP presidential candidate argued that even warfare has limits under international conventions, stressing that political competition should have even stronger restraints.
“If we are in warfare, there’s a limit, not to talk of politics,” he said, warning against what he described as the activities of violent political operators seeking to impress those in power.
Adewole also criticised the language of political leaders, arguing that statements from those in authority can influence the behaviour of their supporters.
“Leadership is by itself about inspiration. Most countries rise and fall by the verbiage of their leadership,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria cannot afford political rhetoric capable of escalating tensions ahead of the 2027 elections, insisting that leaders must understand the consequences of their words.
The SDP candidate said he would adopt a zero-tolerance approach to political violence if elected president, promising to remove anyone associated with violence from his party or support structure.
“As president of Nigeria, I would never promote violence. I would prefer to condemn it. And I will expel anyone from my party or support group who has any hint of violence,” he declared.
Adewole further called for accountability from security agencies, arguing that Nigerians should judge government action by concrete results rather than official statements.
“As for the police, they don’t need to tell us what they are doing. We just need to see the man in court. That’s how you know that you are actually taking action,” he said.
He expressed particular concern over the situation in Osun State, claiming that more than 40 people had lost their lives and warning that continued violence could transform elections into warfare.
“Violence begets violence,” Adewole said. “That is how an election becomes warfare.”
He also criticised the practice of signing political peace accords while allegedly continuing with intimidation, vote buying, unfair electoral practices and inflammatory rhetoric.
“There is no point going around signing peace accords and then following the peace accord with non-peaceful language, non-peaceful methods, unfair systems, rigging, vote buying and all kinds of intimidation. We will not allow that,” he said.
Looking ahead to 2027, Adewole said electoral preparations must begin long before election day, with INEC, the police and other relevant agencies setting standards for a credible process.
“Election goes beyond what happens on election day. Election starts from the atmosphere prior to the election,” he said.
He called for early institutional preparation, stressing: “We must start now, not wait until the last minute.”
Adewole also promised that an SDP-led government would strengthen the independence of INEC and law enforcement agencies, arguing that no president should control the electoral machinery.
“In my own case, I will make sure that the INEC chairman and the INEC board of commissioners are not chosen by me,” he said.
He added that the Attorney-General should be independent of the government, while the police should operate outside presidential control.
“We will change our language, we will change the means by which we free civil society and make the country a civilised one. That is where the best of us can come out,” Adewole said.
He maintained that Nigeria’s political system must move away from violence, intimidation and desperation, insisting that political ambition should never come at the expense of citizens’ lives, even be lauded the statement by former President Good luck Jonathan that his ambition is not worth the life of any Nigeria.
“I think that the philosophy that no ambition should consume the blood, sweat or anxiety of any Nigerian is one which should be brought to practical, institutional and political reality in this generation,” he said.
