Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of allegedly undermining Nigeria’s democratic process and transforming the country’s once-celebrated 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 ongoing political transition process, warning that the country was drifting towards authoritarian rule under civilian governance.
Referencing the famous Option A4 voting system introduced during Nigeria’s Third Republic, the SDP chieftain said a transparent electoral model originally designed to reflect the true will of the people was now allegedly being manipulated for political advantage.
According to him, the original Option A4 system introduced under the late Professor Humphrey Nwosu was built on openness and transparency because voters queued openly behind candidates while votes were counted at polling units in full public view.
“When Professor Omo Omoruyi and others developed democratic studies during the Third Republic and Humphrey Nwosu implemented Option A4, it was simple, transparent and credible,” Adebayo said.
He, however, alleged that the Tinubu administration had distorted that democratic legacy.
“Did anybody imagine that President Tinubu could turn Option A4 into Option A-Fraud, where you announce 11 million votes when the people physically present are nowhere near that figure?” he asked.
Adebayo further alleged that election figures were being manipulated 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 for the 2027 election also accused the current administration of centralising power and weakening democratic institutions in a bid to dominate Nigeria’s political landscape.
According to him, the President was allegedly seeking influence not only within the ruling All Progressives Congress but also 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.
He warned Nigerians against dismissing what he described as the growing danger to the country’s democracy, insisting that the issue had gone beyond ordinary political rivalry.
“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 fueling internal crises within opposition parties to weaken resistance ahead of the 2027 elections.
He cited the recent controversy at the SDP national secretariat, alleging that security agencies were used to intimidate the party and support individuals he described as government-backed agents.
The SDP candidate called on political parties, civil society groups, the media and young Nigerians to defend democracy and resist what he termed “a prolonged coronation disguised as an election.”
According to him, the survival of Nigeria’s democracy now depends on citizens refusing to remain silent.
“This is the fight of our generation,” Adebayo said. “Once Nigerians defeat this idea of one-man control, nobody will attempt it again.”
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