Adebayo to Tinubu: If You’re Too Tired to Campaign, You’re Too Weak to Govern

By Tolu Temidire

The 2027 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has urged President Bola Tinubu to step aside and allow Nigerians to breathe, questioning his capacity to govern if he is unable to participate fully in the forthcoming presidential campaign.

Adebayo made the call in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday in response to Tinubu’s plan to delegate physical campaign activities in some states to members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council while he attends to governance.

The President had made the appeal during the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja, urging members to take the party’s message to Nigerians across the states and local government areas.

Reacting, Adebayo, through his Presidential Campaign’s Chief Communications Adviser, Comrade Mark Adebayo, described Tinubu as a “president in absentia,” arguing that Nigeria required a more hands-on approach to leadership amid its economic and social challenges.

“ Nigeria is too complex, too dynamic, and currently too distressed to be governed by remote control,” he said.

The SDP candidate alleged that the President had repeatedly been unavailable at critical moments when Nigerians needed reassurance and decisive leadership.

He cited what he described as prolonged medical vacations presented as working visits, absences during national emergencies and the reliance on representatives to communicate government policies.

“We have seen repeated instances where the President is visibly missing when the country needs reassurance,” Adebayo said.

“From unannounced foreign trips during critical economic decisions to his complete silence during widespread regional protests, he has consistently acted like a president in absentia.

“If you are too tired to campaign, you are too weak to govern.”

Adebayo also questioned the reasons behind Tinubu’s reported decision to limit his physical participation in the 2027 campaign, alleging that it was driven by concerns over public dissatisfaction rather than political strategy.

“The excuse of bowing out of the 2027 campaign is a cowardly smokescreen. The truth is that the President is terrified of the Nigerian people,” he alleged.

According to him, the administration’s economic policies, including the effects of fuel subsidy removal, rising inflation and currency instability, have contributed to public discontent.

He claimed that the President was aware of the hardship Nigerians were experiencing and was reluctant to face voters directly.

“He knows the pain his bad policies have inflicted on families. He is hiding because he cannot face public anger, and he knows any appearance on a campaign trail will be met with collective booing of a betrayed populace,” Adebayo said.

The SDP candidate called on Tinubu to reconsider his position, insisting that the President should prioritise the country’s interests over political considerations.

“It is time to face reality: step aside, go home, and let this country breathe,” he said.

Adebayo further urged the administration to be transparent about Tinubu’s capacity to continue leading the country for the remainder of his tenure, arguing that the demands of governance required sustained physical presence and direct engagement with Nigerians.