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Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, has launched a sharp attack on President Bola Tinubu, accusing him of interfering in opposition politics and attempting to wield influence over institutions expected to remain independent ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Tuesday, Adebayo alleged that the President was stretching his political influence beyond the ruling All Progressives Congress, warning against what he described as growing interference in Nigeria’s democratic space.
“You can’t be candidate general of the opposition. You have to stick to your own party,” Adebayo said.
In one of his strongest remarks, the SDP chieftain accused Tinubu of trying to play multiple constitutional roles at once.
“The president wants to belong to every political party, also act as the chairman of INEC, and the part-time Chief Justice of Nigeria,” he stated.
Adebayo made the comments while reacting to reports of divisions within the SDP and claims by Akinbola Atanda that he was also a presidential contender under the party’s platform.
Rejecting the claim outright, Adebayo insisted the party neither recognised Atanda nor knew him as a member.
“We don’t know him in the SDP. We don’t know him,” he said.
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Using a pointed analogy, he added: “I could say I’m the Pope, but I’m not. The Catholics know who’s the Pope.”
The former presidential candidate further alleged that the Tinubu administration was fuelling confusion within opposition parties as part of a broader strategy to weaken political competition before 2027.
“I know President Tinubu is the author of all of this drama,” he alleged.
According to him, the APC is uncomfortable with genuine political contest and prefers a system where rival parties are distracted by internal disputes and manufactured claimants.
“The whole idea is not to have competition,” Adebayo said. “They want to master that by having pseudo candidates in other political parties and have a coronation.”
He also questioned the credibility of the APC’s internal primary process, arguing that the ruling party was only projecting an image of democratic competition.
The Presidency has yet to publicly respond to the allegations.
