Fadahunsi: Tinubu, APC Must Act; No Ambition Is Worth Nigerian Blood

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adebayo Adewole, has urged President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to take decisive action against political violence, warning that no political ambition is worth the life of any Nigerian.
Adewole spoke against the backdrop of growing political tension in Osun State, where he alleged that violence, intimidation and the misuse of security agencies were threatening the credibility of the democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The SDP candidate said Tinubu could not divorce his responsibilities as President from his position as leader of the ruling APC, insisting that the President had a duty to set a clear standard for his party, supporters and political associates.
He called on Tinubu to publicly and unequivocally condemn threats, violence and intimidation as instruments of political competition.
“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.
He warned that dangerous political rhetoric could be as destructive as physical attacks, arguing that inflammatory statements by political leaders could embolden supporters to resort to violence.
“Leadership is by itself about inspiration. Most countries rise and fall by the verbiage of their leadership,” he said.
Adewole said even warfare was governed by rules, stressing that political contests should not degenerate into battles in which lives are sacrificed for electoral advantage.
“If we’re in warfare, there’s a limit, not to talk of politics,”he added.
The SDP candidate also questioned the effectiveness of political peace accords when politicians allegedly continue to engage in intimidation, vote buying, electoral manipulation and provocative rhetoric after signing such agreements.
“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,” he said.
He argued that the real measure of the government’s commitment to peaceful elections should be the arrest, prosecution and punishment of those responsible for political violence, rather than the number of peace agreements signed.
“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,” Adewole said.
He claimed that more than 40 people had lost their lives in Osun State and warned that failure to confront political violence could turn elections into violent confrontations.
“Violence begets violence. That is how an election becomes warfare,” he said.
Adewole stressed that electoral credibility was determined long before polling day, arguing that the political atmosphere created in the months preceding an election was crucial to its outcome.
“Election goes beyond what happens on election day. Election starts from the atmosphere prior to the election,” he said.
He therefore urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the police and other election-related institutions to begin preparations early rather than waiting until the final weeks before the polls.
“We must start now, not wait until the last minute,” he added.
The SDP candidate also proposed institutional reforms aimed at reducing presidential influence over electoral and security institutions.
Adewole said that if elected president, he would not personally appoint the INEC chairman and board members, arguing that the electoral body must enjoy sufficient independence to command the confidence of Nigerians.
“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 also advocated greater institutional independence for the Attorney-General and the police, arguing that institutions responsible for justice, elections and public security should not operate as extensions of presidential authority.
Adewole pledged that his administration would adopt a zero-tolerance approach to political violence, promising to remove anyone within his party or support structure found to be involved in violent activities.
“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.
He said Nigeria needed to move away from a political culture driven by fear, intimidation and desperation towards one in which disagreements were resolved through democratic institutions.
“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,” he said.
Adewole maintained that political ambition must never be allowed to consume the lives, livelihoods and peace of Nigerians.
“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.