The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the 2027 general elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has described the Federal Government’s student loan policy as a crime against Nigerians, insisting that education should be free, compulsory, and of high quality.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that Adebayo, who spoke in an interview with Vanguard after emerging as the SDP presidential candidate, said Nigeria’s education system was being weakened by what he described as poor policy choices and deliberate lowering of standards.
Adebayo was most critical of the Federal Government’s student loan policy, describing it as unconstitutional and unfair to young Nigerians.
Asked whether he would continue student loans if elected, he said, “Student loans are a crime.”
Pressed further, he added, “Yes. It’s a crime against the constitution and against the people.”
The SDP candidate said education should not be funded through student loans, arguing that many current political leaders benefited from free education.
He said, “Why should students borrow money for education if education is supposed to be free, compulsory, and qualitative? The National Assembly members didn’t take loans for their own education. They enjoyed free education.
“Education should be free because if you don’t invest in your people, you destroy your society. You will turn scientists into taxi drivers. You destroy civilization, and insecurity grows because the people who should become innovators are abandoned. That is the kind of society APC is creating.”
Adebayo said a government that refuses to invest in education would create a society marked by unemployment, insecurity and wasted talent.
He maintained that the SDP would prioritise public education, social welfare and institutional accountability if elected in 2027.
He also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of focusing more on electoral victory than solving the daily problems of Nigerians, including food, transport, healthcare, jobs and education.
The SDP candidate said his party would pursue what he called “kitchen table politics,” which he explained as a governance philosophy centred on the everyday survival needs of ordinary Nigerians.
Adebayo Speaks On SDP Ticket
Speaking on his emergence as the SDP presidential candidate, Adebayo said he considered the nomination a fresh opportunity for the country and its citizens.
He said, “It feels good, though challenging. It’s a new opportunity for the country and for the sovereign people of this country who need a good government and a good plan.”
The SDP candidate said the party was positioning itself as an ideological alternative to the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.
He dismissed suggestions that his emergence as a consensus candidate could create grudges within the party, saying the SDP understood the need to avoid internal divisions while facing an incumbent government.
He said, “No, I don’t think so. The party understands three things. First, we are facing an incumbent government, so we cannot afford internal struggles. Second, we are fundamentally an ideological party, so it’s not about personality triumphs.”
Adebayo also reacted to the internal crisis involving some officials of the SDP, including the legal issues surrounding the party’s former National Chairman.
He said he would not comment on matters already before the court, especially where a person was facing a criminal trial.
The SDP candidate, who is also a lawyer, said the rule of law must be allowed to prevail.
He said, “Well, I’m in a corner here because I’m a lawyer. Once you start with something being in court, especially someone who is at the risk of losing his liberty and facing a criminal trial, it is unethical for me to comment on it.
“But I hope the rule of law will work and that there will be political settlement without compromising the need not to encourage criminality or say criminality is politics. I think we should just allow the law to take its course.”
Adebayo said the disciplinary powers of the party must be exercised according to the SDP constitution, adding that members facing disciplinary action also had a duty to respect party processes.
He stated that institutions such as the Independent National Electoral Commission and the police should not take sides in internal party matters but should discharge their responsibilities fairly.
According to him, “If you want to discipline somebody, you have to follow the law, and if you are facing disciplinary action, you have to respect it. If you are not satisfied, you can go to the appellate component of it. Institutions like INEC and the police should not take sides; they should do their own duty.”
‘Stealing Money Is Not Politics’
On the allegation involving ₦35 million and the decision to take the matter beyond internal party settlement, Adebayo said allegations of financial misconduct must not be dismissed as mere politics.
He, however, stressed that anyone accused of wrongdoing must be presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court.
He said, “As a lawyer, what I can say is that someone is alleged to be involved in several amounts — maybe you’re mentioning just one — and the person has pleaded not guilty in a court of law. What the law expects of me is to presume the person innocent while the accusers provide evidence.”
Adebayo warned that political usefulness should not become a reason to shield anyone from accountability.
He said siding with an accused person because of political benefit would send the wrong signal, just as condemning a suspect without trial would also amount to disrespect for the law.
He added, “The best thing is to let the law work. Stealing money is not a joke. Breach of trust is not a joke. In the past, people went to prison for 20 naira, while today VIPs loot billions and still receive applause. We should stop that attitude.
“If money belongs to an institution and you had access to it because of your office, you must be accountable.”
Asked whether he had spoken to supporters seen pulling down the gate of the party secretariat, Adebayo said he had not.
He alleged that the police had questions to answer over the incident.
He said, “No. For me, it’s the police that are responsible because you don’t escort criminals to go and pull down gates.”
When asked if the people came with the police, he replied, “It’s the police that brought them, and the police used them to pull down the gates because they didn’t want to do it themselves.”
Adebayo, however, said he was not physically present when the incident happened, adding that he only saw what was shown on television after he had completed his screening and left the venue.
He said the party had contacted the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police over the matter.
According to him, party officials were waiting to see what action would be taken by the police authorities before deciding on the next step.
SDP Is For Ordinary Nigerians – Adebayo
Explaining what the SDP stands for, Adebayo said the party was created to respond to the social and economic problems affecting ordinary Nigerians.
He said the SDP’s focus would be on issues that affect families directly, including food, transportation, healthcare, jobs, education and survival.
He described the party’s agenda as “kitchen table” politics, saying it was about the daily struggles of Nigerians rather than elite political calculations.
Adebayo said, “Without sounding too professorial, the SDP is the party that has solutions to your social problems. It’s a party meant for ordinary people. When you wake up in the morning, you think about feeding your family, transport costs, education, food, healthcare, jobs, survival, those are the issues social democratic parties focus on.
“That’s why in some countries, they call it the ‘kitchen table manifesto.’ It’s about everyday life.”
He criticised the APC over the removal of the subsidy, saying a social democratic government would not take such a decision without considering its effect on transport, food, housing, jobs and people’s savings.
He said, “A social democrat won’t wake up and remove subsidies without thinking about the impact on transport, food, housing, jobs, and people’s savings. But if you are APC, your focus is on winning elections and congratulating yourselves afterwards.”
‘Hungry people do not care about region’
Adebayo also dismissed the argument that it would be difficult for him, a South-West candidate, to defeat President Bola Tinubu, who is also from the same region.
He said the SDP would not approach the election based on ethnicity or regional sentiment.
According to him, Nigerians struggling with hunger, high fuel prices, poor schools and economic hardship would not judge leadership only by regional identity.
He said, “We don’t think like that in SDP. A hungry person in the South West is still hungry. Someone buying petrol at outrageous prices won’t care about regional identity.
“A student taking loans to attend schools with unpaid lecturers and empty laboratories won’t remember that the president is from the South West.”
The SDP candidate accused the APC of building politics around electoral advantage rather than governance outcomes.
He said Nigeria needed a party focused on social progress, not one built around ethnicity or religion.
‘APC Planting Moles In Opposition Parties
Adebayo also alleged that the APC was involved in efforts to destabilise opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Asked whether the SDP had experienced infiltration by political moles, he answered in the affirmative.
He said, “Yes, we are dealing with that. It is the desire of President Tinubu to be the only person in the race. But this is not new. PDP governments also attacked opposition parties during Obasanjo’s era.”
The SDP candidate said such activities were part of Nigeria’s long history of ruling parties attempting to weaken opposition platforms.
He, however, said leadership remained important in helping party members understand the danger of transactional politics.
He said, “They will always exist. The important thing is leadership and helping people understand that transactional politics may give temporary benefits, but the long-term consequences are dangerous for the country.”
Adebayo said he was not directly in charge of the party’s operations, adding that his role as the presidential candidate was ideological and philosophical.
‘Education Reforms Are Deformations’
On recent changes in the education sector, including lower cut-off marks and shortened routes for teacher training, Adebayo rejected the description of the policies as reforms.
He described them as “deformations,” accusing the government of lowering standards in a way that would damage the country’s future.
He said, “These are not reforms; they are deformations. The lowest-quality people are in government, and they want standards to fall because an educated population asks questions and challenges bad governance.”
Adebayo argued that education builds critical thinking and helps citizens rise above ethnicity, religion and political manipulation.
He said poor education policy was contributing to the production of unemployable youths.
According to him, Nigeria must return to a system where schools occupy young people productively from morning till evening through academic work, physical education, extracurricular activities, prep classes and exam coaching.
He said, “The solution is not difficult. In our time, public schools kept students occupied productively from morning till evening. We had physical education, extracurriculars, prep classes, and exam coaching. Society must occupy young people constructively from childhood.”