Adebayo: Four Years Enough to Transform Nigeria, Promises N200 Petrol, 75,000MW Power

By Nafiu Muhammad Lema

The 2027 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has declared that four years is sufficient for a focused and determined government to transform Nigeria, promising major reforms in the economy, security, energy and petroleum sectors.

Adebayo made the declaration in Abuja on Tuesday during the unveiling of the SDP’s 2027–2031 presidential policy document, titled “Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity.”

He said Nigeria’s challenges were largely the result of poor leadership and ineffective governance, arguing that the country could overcome insecurity, unemployment, poverty and infrastructure deficits through purposeful leadership and policies that promote productivity.

“Four years is enough for a determined leader to help his people,” Adebayo said, challenging Nigerians to reject what he described as the country’s “politics of comedy and clowning.”

He described the manifesto as a practical policy blueprint rather than a collection of campaign slogans, urging Nigerians to examine and challenge the proposals contained in the document.

“We are trying to tell Nigerians that we are beyond sloganeering. We are saying to you: here is our farewell to poverty and insecurity. We have submitted our thesis to Nigerians. Mark us. Evaluate us. Contradict us,” he said.

Adebayo Challenges Tinubu to Debate

The SDP candidate also challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to a public debate, asking the President to explain the administration’s achievements and the utilisation of resources generated from the removal of fuel subsidy.

“Come out of hiding. Come and debate. Anyone who wants to keep his job should be able to answer his bosses,” Adebayo said.

He questioned what he described as the lack of visible benefits from the trillions of naira saved from subsidy removal, asking, “Where is the money? Where are the trillions for security? Where is the CNG? Where is the electricity?”

Adebayo also criticised the management of the naira and accused the Central Bank of Nigeria of failing to adequately support productivity and employment.

“The Central Bank of Nigeria is not protecting our currency. It is not creating productivity and employment,” he alleged.

Promises N200 Petrol, 75,000MW Electricity

On the economy and energy sector, Adebayo promised that an SDP government would target the generation of 75,000 megawatts of electricity using Nigeria’s available resources.

He also pledged to establish four functioning public refineries and 36 modular refineries, while creating conditions for private investors to establish additional refineries and export petroleum products.

On petrol pricing, the SDP candidate said Nigerians should not be expected to pay international prices for petroleum products when their incomes remain far below international wage levels.

“That is why we calculated it and concluded that N200, at the current rate, is the price at which petrol can be sold without pushing the people further into poverty,” he said.

Security Requires Political and Economic Solutions

Adebayo said insecurity could not be defeated through military action alone, stressing that economic and social conditions contributing to criminality must also be addressed.

He argued that changing the government through the ballot box would be a major step towards tackling insecurity.

“Since the majority of insecurity is caused by government failure, when you use your vote in 2027 to change the government, you have already gone 60 per cent of the way towards chasing away the bandits,” he said.

He also promised to promote national unity and address what he termed “internal colonialism,” which he said had contributed to divisions along ethnic, religious and regional lines.

SDP: Poverty Must Be Eliminated, Not Managed

The SDP National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, said the party’s manifesto was built around three interconnected priorities: security, productivity and prosperity.

Gombe said the party would strengthen the military, police, intelligence agencies, border control and justice system while combining kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to fighting insecurity.

“We do not believe that poverty should be managed in Nigeria. We believe poverty must be eliminated through production, employment, opportunity and responsible social protection,” he said.

He added that accountability must remain central to governance, insisting that public officials must be answerable to citizens.

“Accountability is not an inconvenience to governance. Accountability is governance itself,” Gombe declared.

Bugaje: Nigeria’s Problem Is Leadership

The SDP vice-presidential candidate, Dr. Usman Bugaje, said Nigeria possesses the human resources required to develop but has been held back by poor leadership.

Bugaje pointed to the performance of Nigerians living abroad as evidence that the country’s challenges were not caused by a lack of talent.

“The problem is not the Nigerian people. The problem is leadership,” he said.

He described the SDP manifesto as a “living document” that would continue to evolve through engagement with Nigerians.

Bugaje also identified low agricultural productivity and high energy costs as major barriers to economic development, saying improvements in agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and other sectors would depend heavily on reliable and affordable energy.

He acknowledged that implementing the party’s agenda would face resistance from entrenched interests benefiting from the current system.

“They are going to fight. But we shall fight. And we shall win. And we shall deliver, God willing,” Bugaje said.

The SDP leadership urged Nigerians to scrutinise the manifesto and hold the party accountable for its promises as it prepares for the 2027 presidential election.