Former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has launched a blistering critique of Nigeria’s ongoing electoral amendment process, warning that the country is walking deliberately into another cycle of disputed elections, legitimacy crisis and democratic regression ahead of the 2027 general polls.

Speaking in an exclusive interview on Eagle 102. 5 FM, Ilese Ijebu, on Thursday Dr. Prince Adewole Adebayo accused the National Assembly of mistaking cosmetic legislative amendments for genuine electoral reform, insisting that what Nigeria urgently needs is a fundamental restructuring of its electoral system, not piecemeal adjustments.

“What they are doing is just an amendment, not a reform. Just minimal amendments,” Adebayo said.

“If we are truly serious about reform, we should go as far as ensuring that even the appointment of INEC officials is done by non-partisan bodies, just like in the United States. We should move into full electronic voting, because we already do electronic payments, electronic banking, electronic verification, electronic everything. Why should elections be the only thing we still do manually?” Adebayo added.

According to him, real electoral reform must go beyond technical adjustments and confront the structural roots of electoral fraud, political manipulation and institutional weakness.

“We should have reformed campaign finance to strictly limit how much money people can spend, and to make sure that any money spent on politics is fully transparent, who gave it, where it came from, and how it was spent. And there are so many other deep changes we ought to make. That is what reform means.” he explained.

Some Amendments Are Even Taking Us Backwards

Adebayo argued that rather than advancing Nigeria’s democracy, some of the proposed amendments currently before the National Assembly actively weaken electoral accountability.

“Some of the amendments are even taking us backwards,” he said.

“They are trying to reduce the number of days for election notices, and they are reducing punishments for election offenders, people who buy votes, people who sell votes, people who commit electoral violence. That is not reform. That is regression.” Adebayo added

He said the outrage across the country was driven by the legislature’s attempt to tamper with real-time electronic transmission of results, which he described as the bare minimum requirement for credible elections.

“Even the basic thing that we need, electronic transmission of results immediately after counting, they are opposing it. That is why Nigerians are angry. That is why people are up in arms.”

Why Electronic Transmission Is Non-Negotiable

Explaining the mechanics, Adebayo said public debate has been distorted by deliberate misinformation.

“We are not asking for electronic voting. We are asking for electronic transmission of results. There is a huge difference,” he stressed.

“We already use BVAS for electronic verification of identity. After voting, the results are written, and copies are given to party agents and security agencies. All we are saying is take a snapshot of that result and upload it immediately so nobody can alter it later.” He emphasized

He described post-poll collation as the main theatre of electoral fraud in Nigeria.

“The real problem starts when results leave the polling unit and move to ward and local government collation centres. That is where influential people start bringing different figures. They switch results, inflate numbers, mutilate figures. By the time the result reaches Abuja, it has changed many times.”

Adebayo said electronic transmission blocks that loophole completely.

“Once the result is uploaded from the polling unit, it becomes tamper-proof. You can’t bribe anybody to change it. You can’t replace it. It is already on the central server for all Nigerians to see.”

He illustrated with his personal experience from the 2023 election.

“In Kwara State, the votes I got at polling units were about 122,000. But the figure announced was 22,000. If results had been transmitted electronically from the beginning, that kind of thing would not happen. The same thing happened in many states.”

This Fight Is Not for Politicians, It Is for Voters

Responding to questions about his role in protests against the amendment, Adebayo rejected claims of indifference, explaining that he adopted a strategic advocacy approach rather than street demonstrations.

“I was in television studios, speaking, explaining, educating. I was also calling senators one by one to warn them. Everybody has a role. You cannot be in the studio and also be on the streets at the same time.” he stated

He said the struggle transcends partisan interests:

“This is not about politicians. It is about voters. This injury is not to me as a candidate; it is to Nigerians who want their votes to count.”

According to him, even members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) privately support transparent elections.

“From my interactions, most APC members want elections to be free and fair. They are not against electronic transmission. It is only a few political elites who are afraid of transparency.”

On speculations about opposition alliances, Adebayo dismissed the idea of any formal coalition.

“There is no opposition coalition. Everybody is in their own political party. But there are issues that concern everybody — issues that are non-partisan. Free and fair elections concern everyone.” he said

He further explained that electoral integrity is a collective democratic interest, not a political strategy.

“If you want to cancel elections, change election dates or tamper with result transmission, it affects everyone. That is why everybody must speak.”

Nigeria’s Economy Is in Free Fall

Beyond electoral issues, Adebayo delivered a grim assessment of Nigeria’s economy, describing it as bad in every parameter.

“This is not a political statement. It is reality. Government finances are in deep crisis. They are running deficits of over ₦25 trillion. They cannot meet revenue targets. They cannot implement budgets. Ministers are saying they have received less than one per cent of their capital allocations.”

He said if government, the most financially comfortable entity in the economy is struggling, the condition of businesses and households is even worse.

“Businesses are distressed. Households are barely surviving. Inflation is galloping out of reach. Unemployment is rising. People who have jobs cannot survive on their salaries. Small businesses are collapsing.”

He blamed what he described as structural mismanagement under successive administrations.

“The mistakes of the Buhari government, followed by this administration, have put Nigeria’s economy in a tight corner.”

Budgeting Has Become an Exercise in Futility

Adebayo strongly criticised Nigeria’s fiscal process, describing budget implementation as chaotic and irresponsible.

“Budgeting under this government is an exercise in futility. The 2024 budget is still running. The 2025 budget is still running. Now they are discussing 2026. You cannot be in SS1, SS2 and SS3 at the same time. It makes no sense.”

He accused the government of gross fiscal indiscipline.

“They cherry-pick which parts of the budget to implement. They divert funds. They release money selectively. That is why there is no accountability.”

2027: I Will Run Again

On his political future, Adebayo confirmed his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election.

“Whether zoning favors me or not, I will run. I have informed my party already.”

He dismissed speculation about defecting to another party.

“I joined the SDP when I was 19 years old. I am still here. The party made me a presidential candidate. What else am I looking for elsewhere?” he said.

Reflecting on his decades-long loyalty to the SDP, Adebayo said ideology, not political convenience guides his journey.

“We believe in social investment. We believe in building schools, hospitals, housing, infrastructure. We believe government money should be used to lift people out of poverty.”

He said Nigeria’s decline stems from abandoning developmental governance.

“The problems we were trying to solve in 1991 are still here — lack of water, poor education, weak healthcare, collapsed infrastructure. In fact, they have become worse.” he lamented.

Adebayo concluded with a powerful warning on civic responsibility.

“If we have free and fair elections, Nigerians must accept the consequences of their choices. Whatever finger you use to vote, that is the result you will get. Don’t complain later.”

He added:“That is why I am fighting so hard for credible elections. Once we get that right, democracy will begin to work.”