By Henry Umoru, Abuja
ABUJA — The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently address Nigeria’s worsening security challenges, saying the President must “use bullets to kill the terrorists or use his pen to resign.”
Adebayo made the remarks on Tuesday in Abuja at the National Electoral Reforms Summit 2025, organised by the National Consultative Front (NCFront) and the Labour and Civil Society Front (LCSF). The summit, themed “Critical Constitutional Amendments for Credible Elections in 2027”, is a pan-Nigerian dialogue held in commemoration of Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary.
Speaking on the sidelines of comments by former U.S. President Donald Trump on attacks on Christians in Nigeria, Adebayo cautioned against using Trump’s remarks to fuel religious divisions.
“The Nigerian armed forces, the way I know them, can protect the whole of West Africa if you let them do it. But they cannot protect their own barracks if you say they should not do it,” Adebayo said.
He accused both past and present leaders of exploiting insecurity for personal gain, noting that decisive leadership could quickly address the country’s security problems.
“I thank Mr. Trump for showing interest in Nigeria at all. But we must not turn his interest into a Christian-Muslim debate. Anyone who wants to help must help every Nigerian. Trump cannot resolve our problems in the short term; local leadership is key,” he added.
Adebayo also spoke on governance and accountability, emphasising that democracy must deliver tangible benefits to citizens. “Democracy must be clean, fair, and predictable. Leaders must govern according to the wishes of the people, or they will lose the next election,” he said.
Former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, also spoke at the summit, urging Nigerians to elect leaders they can hold accountable. He criticised the selective arrest of politicians, saying, “The politicians they arrest are those against the government in power. If you are with the government, nothing will happen.”
Amaechi added that citizens must take action to demand transparency and accountability from their leaders, rather than relying solely on political rhetoric.
In her remarks, former Minister of Education Dr. Oby Ezekwesili highlighted the limitations of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in prosecuting electoral offenses. She explained that INEC currently depends on the police and the attorney general for enforcement, which has contributed to repeated electoral violations.
Ezekwesili called for the establishment of a dedicated prosecutorial unit within INEC and stressed the need for technological and procedural improvements, including:
Mandatory electronic transmission of results to reduce opportunities for manipulation during collation.
Expanded timelines for voter registration, candidate nomination, and election preparations to improve accessibility and efficiency.
The summit brought together policymakers, civil society actors, and electoral experts to discuss reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s democracy and ensuring credible elections in 2027.
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