ABUJA — The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has released further explosive details regarding his private interaction with President Bola Tinubu, alleging that the President expressed total indifference toward voter turnout and directly confirmed executive control over the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Loading ...Expanding on his initial disclosures about the closed-door meeting between a coalition of political parties and the presidency, Adebayo painted a chilling picture of an administration fully prepared to deploy state power to subvert conventional democratic expectations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to Adebayo, President Tinubu flatly dismissed the opposition’s concerns regarding voter suppression and systemic manipulation, stating that he has no obligation to create a transparent system.
“Tinubu said: ‘…why should I make laws that favour free and fair election, if you don’t want to vote don’t vote. Who say you must vote. You can sleep in your house that day. If only three people that vote for me, I win,'” Adebayo revealed, exposing a calculated political philosophy that prioritizes technical victory over popular legitimacy.
“INEC is Controlled from Aso Rock”
The SDP standard-bearer did not stop at quoting the President’s uncompromising stance on voting rights; he went on to drop a massive bombshell regarding the complete lack of independence within Nigeria’s apex electoral umpire.
Adebayo asserted that despite public public-relations campaigns claiming that INEC operates as an autonomous body, the commission’s top leadership acts strictly on administrative directives issued directly from the Presidential Villa. He described a submissive operational chain where legal documents, political registrations, and electoral disputes are vetted by Aso Rock before INEC can take any official action.
“If you take a letter to INEC, they would call Villa,” Adebayo stated flatly, exposing the institutional rot. “If they say don’t collect, they won’t collect, and if they ask them to collect, they would collect, because INEC is controlled from Aso Rock.”
A Searing Blow to Democratic Hope
The dual revelations have sent shockwaves through civil society organizations, international observer groups, and the wider opposition alliance, effectively dismantling any remaining faith in an impending legislative reform of the Electoral Act.
Tinubu’s alleged remarks suggest that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) views low voter turnout not as a failure of governance, but as a strategic advantage. By encouraging dissatisfied citizens to simply stay at home on election day, the state machinery can easily secure a technical victory using a heavily restricted and controlled pool of voters, completely insulated from the wave of public frustration.
Adebayo’s detailed account explains the deep, paralyzing anxieties currently tearing through opposition structures, confirming that the structural game is heavily rigged from the top.
Pressure Mounts on Electoral Umpire
With Adebayo openly accusing INEC of acting as an administrative puppet of the executive arm, pressure is mounting on the commission’s leadership to defend its constitutional integrity.
Legal experts warn that if the opposition cannot even submit official correspondence to INEC without presidential clearance, the entire foundation of the 2027 electoral cycle is fundamentally compromised. The disclosure is expected to trigger aggressive demands from human rights lawyers for a complete decentralization of INEC’s command structure to prevent total state capture.
As the political atmosphere grows increasingly toxic, the presidency has maintained a tight-lipped silence, leaving Adebayo’s alarming revelations to dominate national headlines and reshape opposition strategies across the federation.
