The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has accused President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of allegedly manipulating Nigeria’s democratic process and converting the country’s once-celebrated and flawless electoral culture into what he described as “Option A-Fraud.”
Adebayo made the allegation while speaking on the state of Nigeria’s democracy and the on-going political transition process, warning that the nation was drifting toward authoritarian rule disguised as civilian governance.
Referencing the famous ‘Option A4’ voting system introduced during Nigeria’s Third Republic, the SDP chieftain lamented that a transparent electoral model designed to reflect the true will of the people, was now being distorted for political advantage.
According to him, “the original concept behind Option A4 was simple and credible because voters openly queued behind candidates, while votes were counted transparently at polling units.
“When Professor Omo Omoruyi and others developed democratic studies during the Third Republic and Prof. Humphrey Nwosu implemented Option A4, it was done because it was basic and transparent,” he said.
He, however, alleged that the APC’s Tinubu administration had transformed that legacy into electoral manipulation.
“Did anybody believe that President Tinubu can turn Option A4 into Option A-Fraud, where you announce 11 million votes when the people physically present are not even close to that figure?” he asked.
Adebayo claimed that figures were allegedly being inflated in ways that defied logic and arithmetic.
“You count one, two, three, four and suddenly jump to ninety-nine,” he said, describing the process as “elliptical arithmetic.”
The SDP presidential candidate further alleged that the current administration was gradually centralising power and weakening democratic institutions in order to dominate the entire political landscape.
According to him, the President allegedly seeks influence not only within the ruling party, but across opposition parties and key democratic institutions.
“He wants to belong to every political party, control every political party, control INEC and dictate who emerges,” Adebayo alleged.
The SDP leader warned Nigerians not to dismiss the danger facing the country’s democracy, insisting that what was happening went beyond ordinary political rivalry.
He argued that Nigeria was moving toward a dangerous concentration of power in one individual.
“This is no longer about party differences or ideology. It is about preventing Nigeria from becoming the personal estate of one man,” he declared.
Adebayo also accused the government of sponsoring internal crises within opposition parties to weaken resistance ahead of future elections.
He cited the recent controversy surrounding the SDP national secretariat, alleging that security agencies were used to intimidate the party and facilitate the activities of persons he described as government-backed agents.
The SDP presidential candidate called on political parties, civil society organisations, the media and young Nigerians to defend democracy and resist what he termed “a prolonged coronation disguised as an election.”
He maintained that the survival of Nigeria’s democratic system now depended on citizens refusing to remain silent.
“This is the fight of our generation. Once Nigerians defeat this idea of one-man control, nobody will attempt it again,” he added.
