The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has proposed a governance model that combines the vigour of private enterprise with an interventionist state focused on fulfilling citizens’ basic needs.

The proposal is outlined in his 2027–2031 governance blueprint, titled ‘Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity,’ which identifies social democracy and the basic needs approach as the core pillars of his proposed administration.

Rather than viewing economic growth as an end in itself, Adebayo’s blueprint contends that development must ultimately lead to a dignified and productive life for ordinary Nigerians.

Under this model, markets and private enterprise would remain vital drivers of innovation and economic growth, while government would intervene strategically where markets fall short, essential public goods are at risk, or national development calls for catalytic investment.

The blueprint lists security, food, clean water, affordable energy, healthcare, education, housing, decent work, mobility, justice, environmental quality, and digital connectivity as interconnected foundations of national productivity and citizenship.

This approach marks a substantial shift from measuring national progress solely through GDP figures, government revenue, or infrastructure projects.

In ‘Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity,’ Adebayo argues that the true measure of governance is whether Nigerians see tangible improvements in their everyday lives.

The philosophy also forms part of the broader argument in the blueprint that Nigeria needs both a capable state and a productive private sector.

Its executive message dismisses what it describes as a false dichotomy between an active state and a thriving market, asserting that Nigeria requires a public authority capable of guaranteeing essential public goods alongside a competitive private economy capable of investing, producing, and creating jobs.

For Adebayo, therefore, social democracy is not a rejection of capitalism or private enterprise. Instead, it is a framework through which economic activity is expected to serve larger social goals.

The core proposition of the blueprint is that prosperity must be linked to human welfare—and that government should be judged by whether citizens can genuinely feel the benefits of national development.

This philosophy permeates the document’s proposals on security, agriculture, employment, education, healthcare, housing, infrastructure, and social protection.

All North Central For Asiwaju 2027, a political group of indigenes and non-indigenes resident in the North Central region of Nigeria has unanimously decried the exclusion of the name of the Father and Leader of North Central George Akume from the PPC list recently published by the APC for its Presidential campaign.

The group stated unequivocally that the error of omitting the name of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation from the list will be inimical to the success of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the North Central in the 2027 Presidential election.

In a statement jointly signed by the Convener/ Director General of the group Chief Ewie Aimienwauu, the National Coordinator, Honorable Marcellinus Ozoemena Njoku and all the State Coordinators, the group humbly appealed to the President to “withdraw the PPC list and correct this error amongst many others which are not of particular interest to our association exclusively.”

The statement noted that the SGF as the engine room of the Tinubu administration offers a credible and informed view of the government’s success so far, a quality which is germane for issue based campaign as being requested by Mr. President.

It further said that the “pivotal role of the Leader on the North Central brokering peace, being an accessible father of all, a rallying point and stabiliser puts him at the front lines of getting the Middle Belt people to support the re-election bid of Mr. President.

“The President has done extremely well, but we need several gentle, confident, publicly loved, and informed voices to take the message to the people. The SGF is this kind of person, dependable forthright, loved, accessible, approachable, caring, and above all, a great apostle of the re-election of President Bola Ahmed.

“Without being an alarmist, we all remember how the Muslim-Muslim ticket and the insurgency fared at the 2023 polls in the North Central Zone. That unpleasant situation must be prevented in 2027. This can only sincerely be mitigated in 2027 with our father and Leader of the North Central assuring the people and pointing out personally, how much more the Zone has fared under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“All hands must be on deck to campaign, mobilise, and ensure victory for our hardworking President and our great party come 2027.”

Obaloluwa Darasimi
Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has unveiled a five-point agenda for the transformation of Nigeria, promising to tackle insecurity, unemployment, low productivity, poor electricity supply and weak institutions if elected president in 2027.

Adebayo, who spoke during an interactive session with journalists and members of the Middle-Belt Forum, argued that economic growth figures mean little to Nigerians if they do not translate into jobs, higher productivity, better living standards and improved opportunities for businesses.

The SDP candidate said Nigeria’s challenges were fundamentally linked to weak institutions, poor accountability, low productive capacity and what he described as government-enabled criminality.

He pledged that a government led by him would dismantle structures that enable criminality and would not tolerate the involvement of public officials in activities that undermine national security.

He said his administration would also undertake a major restructuring of the country’s security architecture, with greater emphasis on intelligence gathering, community responsiveness and the ability of security agencies to prevent crimes rather than merely respond after attacks have occurred.

He proposed a full-employment strategy, greater transparency in revenue collection, stronger financial accountability and a clear separation between public officials and government contracting.

The SDP candidate also advocated the decentralisation of economic production, arguing that states and local governments should play a greater role in sectors such as agriculture and mining.

He proposed what he called a “promotional tax regime”, designed to protect living wages, stimulate investment and encourage businesses to expand production rather than merely increase government revenue.

Adebayo said Nigeria’s vast mineral resources, particularly those located across the Middle Belt, represented an enormous economic opportunity that had yet to be fully exploited.

He argued that properly regulated mining could generate substantial employment, increase government revenue and diversify the economy beyond its dependence on petroleum.

He therefore called for an end to what he described as the “criminalisation of mining”, insisting that the sector should be formally regulated and developed instead of being left vulnerable to illegal operators and criminal networks.

On the power sector, Adebayo said Nigeria must abandon what he described as outdated electricity-generation ambitions and begin planning for an economy capable of supporting large-scale industrialisation.

He proposed that Nigeria should target between 50,000 megawatts and 75,000 megawatts of electricity generation capacity by 2050, combining gas-fired generation, solar power and the rehabilitation of existing hydroelectric infrastructure.

“At least in Nigeria now, any presidential candidate who is not giving you a plan for 50,000 megawatts is behind time,” he said.

Adebayo also criticised the existing electricity market, alleging that political interests had interfered with tariff collection and other critical aspects of the sector.

He called for the restructuring of electricity distribution companies and the energy procurement system to improve efficiency and ensure more reliable electricity supply to households and businesses.

On security, he said, it would remain at the heart of his administration.
Adebayo promised to restructure the armed forces and security architecture to make them more responsive to communities while strengthening intelligence capabilities.

He maintained that government could not defeat insecurity by simply reacting to attacks after they had occurred, arguing that the root causes and networks sustaining violence must be confronted.

According to him, effective security requires not only military intervention but also stronger institutions, economic opportunity and a government capable of identifying and disrupting criminal networks before they strike.
The SDP candidate also outlined a foreign policy centred on international partnerships capable of strengthening Nigeria’s national security, education, technology and access to global markets.

He promised that his administration would pay greater attention to Nigerians living abroad, arguing that the Nigerian diaspora should be deliberately integrated into the country’s development strategy.

Adebayo’s proposals came as the SDP intensified its engagement with political and community stakeholders ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The party’s National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe, said the SDP was positioning itself to participate in a credible electoral process while contributing to Nigeria’s democratic development.

Gombe urged the Middle-Belt Forum to play a strategic role in shaping the country’s political future, describing the group as an important stakeholder in Nigeria.

“My request for them from the Middle Belt is that, as one of the key stakeholders in our country, we came to unveil our manifesto and the manifesto of the candidate to them, so as we move on together toward the rescue mission of our dear country,” he said.

The SDP chairman said the party was encouraged by the reception it received from members of the Middle Belt and their understanding of Adebayo’s policy proposals.

He expressed confidence that the engagement would deepen collaboration between the party and stakeholders in the region ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

With security, full employment, economic decentralisation, massive power expansion and institutional accountability at the centre of his agenda, Adebayo is positioning the SDP as an alternative political platform ahead of the 2027 presidential contest.