Prince Adewole Adebayo, the presidential candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the 2027 general election, has dismissed claims of economic progress under President Bola Tinubu, insisting that the administration’s celebrated macroeconomic gains have failed to translate into improved living conditions for ordinary Nigerians.

Speaking during a television interview to mark the third anniversary of the Tinubu administration, he argued that the government’s economic performance should be judged by the realities facing citizens rather than official statistics.

According to him, only those in government could claim to be better off today, while the majority of Nigerians continue to struggle with rising living costs, declining purchasing power, unemployment and worsening poverty.

“No one’s life is better off except those who are in government,” Adebayo said. “When all economic policies crystallise, they are reflected in what people pay for food, rent, transportation, healthcare and education. In all of these objective indicators, no one’s life is better off than before.”

He faulted attempts by government officials to present positive economic indicators as evidence of success, arguing that an economy that is genuinely improving would not require extensive official explanations to convince citizens.

“The economy belongs to all of us. If it is working, everybody will know it is working. Farmers, industrialists, traders, workers and consumers will feel it,” he said.

He also wondered why the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which has governed Nigeria since 2015, continues to attribute current economic challenges to inherited problems.

He maintained that the economic conditions inherited by Tinubu in 2023 were themselves products of eight years of APC governance, making it difficult for the party to shift responsibility elsewhere.

“The same  political party and largely the same political actors produced the situation they now describe as terrible. Nigerians voted for them twice and those conditions emerged under their watch,” he said.

The Ondo prince further accused the administration of creating what he described as an “illusion of progress” through currency devaluation and heavy borrowing.

According to him, increases in government revenue and foreign reserves, often cited by officials, do not reflect genuine economic growth but are largely the consequences of naira depreciation and debt accumulation.

“What they suffer from is what economists call the illusion of money. The devaluation of the naira creates the appearance that more money is coming in, but the reality is that the money has lost purchasing power,” he stated.

He argued that the government’s macroeconomic indicators are “faulty and incorrect” because they do not correspond with the realities experienced by households and businesses.

He noted that the widening gap between official economic statistics and citizens’ living standards demonstrates that the government’s policies are not producing meaningful results.

He cited rising unemployment, increasing poverty levels and declining purchasing power despite official reports of GDP growth and moderating inflation.

“The average Nigerian wants to know whether he can buy food tomorrow. That is the true test of economic policy,” he said.

He also blamed the administration’s foreign exchange policies for worsening the financial position of state governments and businesses, arguing that projects awarded before the naira devaluation had become significantly more expensive to execute.

He noted that most state governors belong to the APC and are implementing policies aligned with those of the Federal Government, making it difficult to separate state-level outcomes from federal economic decisions.

He further criticised the government’s borrowing strategy, claiming that much of the growth recorded in Nigeria’s foreign reserves is linked to loans rather than productive economic expansion.

“They have engaged in heavy borrowing since coming into office, and a significant portion of the reserves being celebrated is already spoken for,” he said.

He also questioned the credibility of official inflation figures, arguing that they failed to capture the realities of fuel prices, transportation costs and the broader cost-of-living pressures confronting Nigerians.

He maintained that until economic policies result in tangible improvements in the daily lives of citizens, claims of success by the administration would remain disconnected from reality.

“The president and the country are better served by an honest assessment of the economy than by defensive arguments that do not reflect what Nigerians are experiencing,” he submitted.

The Tanimu Turaki-led PDP, on Saturday, changed the venue of its convention and briskly ratified former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

The move was after the group was barred by the police from accessing the A Class Hotel in Abuja, initially rented for its convention.

The event, which did not last more than 20 minutes, had an ally of Jonathan, Fred Agbedi, who received the certificate on behalf of the former president.

Other dignitaries present at the event included Prof Jerry Gana, Tanimu Turaki, Adolphus Wabara, and several others who are loyal to Turaki.

The police had used several of their vans to completely block the two access roads leading off from the Wuse and Maitama axis, into the premises of the previously rented event centre.

The blockage deprived access to both PDP members loyal to Turaki and other road users who have nothing to do with the planned convention.

The development comes following Friday’s warning to hotels and event centres by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, not to allow illegal political parties or organisations to use their resources for the sake of security in the FCT.

In response, the PDP, in a statement, accused Wike of attempting to halt its planned event.

According to the statement, the party said the management of A Class Event Centre informed it that pressure was being mounted on the venue to stop the gathering from taking place.

The PDP said it had already paid for the venue and fulfilled all conditions required for the programme.

The party also said security agencies had been notified of the convention scheduled for Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Wuse 2, Abuja.

The party insisted that the convention would proceed despite what it described as intimidation.

Meanwhile, a former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, received the PDP Certificate of Return on behalf of former President Jonathan at the party’s ‘National Convention’ in Abuja.

The presentation by the PDP Interim National Working Committee led Turaki thrust Jonathan back into the political spotlight amid growing interest in the opposition’s plans ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Gana received the certificate before party leaders, delegates, former ministers, state officials, and supporters gathered at the convention venue in Area 10, Garki, Abuja.

He later addressed party supporters and journalists shortly after the presentation.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has rated the three-year record of President Bola Tinubu’s administration low, citing hunger, poverty, and the abduction of schoolchildren.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President said as the Tinubu administration marks three years in office, its most fitting report card is not the glossy advertisements, expensive media campaigns, or self-congratulatory speeches emanating from Abuja, but the tears of hungry families, the despair of unemployed youths, the collapse of businesses, and the haunting images of schoolchildren being abducted by criminals while a complacent government looks the other way.

He said the tragedy of Borno and Oyo is not merely a security failure but the inevitable consequence of a government that has become detached from reality and addicted to propaganda.

The Waziri Adamawa said Nigerians understand that a government that cannot guarantee security, create opportunities, stabilise the economy, or protect the dignity of its citizens has no moral basis for asking to be rewarded with another term.

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) declared that the era of political complacency, propaganda, and governance by deception is drawing to a close, stating that Nigerians have seen enough and are preparing to reclaim their country through the power of the ballot.

According to Atiku, every government is entitled to its own opinions, but no government is entitled to its own facts.

“The facts are stubborn and unforgiving. Three years ago, President Tinubu promised renewed hope. What Nigerians have received instead is renewed hardship, renewed insecurity, renewed poverty, and renewed hopelessness.

“Today, millions of Nigerians can no longer afford the basic necessities of life. Food prices have skyrocketed beyond the reach of ordinary families. Inflation has become a cruel tax on the poor. Small and medium-scale businesses are shutting their doors. Investors are fleeing uncertainty. The naira has been battered. Purchasing power has collapsed.

“Never in recent history have so many Nigerians worked so hard only to become poorer. Never has a government celebrated itself so loudly while its citizens suffered so deeply.

“While Nigerians endure the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation, this administration continues to manufacture statistics, stage elaborate ceremonies, and engage in endless public relations exercises designed to create the illusion of progress where none exists.

“What makes this failure even more scandalous is the reckless borrowing that has accompanied it. This administration has borrowed trillions of naira in the name of infrastructure and economic development, yet Nigerians cannot see corresponding improvements in their daily lives.

“Public reports indicate that while the Federal Government borrowed approximately N11.9 trillion within a nine-month period, only N3.1 trillion was reportedly spent on capital projects. Nigerians are therefore entitled to ask a simple question: where did the rest of the money go?

“Even more troubling is that a substantial portion of the infrastructure spending that has been publicly highlighted appears concentrated on projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Badagry-Sokoto Highway, both awarded to a company owned by a businessman whom President Tinubu publicly described as his ‘partner in daring.’

“This administration has created the disturbing perception that while ordinary Nigerians are being asked to endure sacrifice, the benefits of government spending are increasingly flowing towards a privileged circle of politically connected interests.

“A government that borrows trillions but cannot transparently account for the impact of those borrowings on the lives of its citizens has no business celebrating itself. Nigerians are not interested in debt accumulation. They are interested in results.”

Atiku said perhaps the most damning indictment of the Tinubu administration’s three-year record is the resurgence of mass abductions and the growing sense that the Nigerian state is steadily losing its monopoly over security.

“While government officials celebrate themselves and distribute scorecards, terrorists and criminal gangs are distributing fear across the country.

“The recent abduction of schoolchildren in Borno State and the mass kidnapping of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State are not isolated incidents. They are the most accurate report card of this administration after three years in office.

“What greater evidence of failure can there be than parents sending their children to school only to receive news that they have been abducted? What greater symbol of governmental failure exists than classrooms becoming hunting grounds for criminals?

“Three years into this administration, Nigerian children are still being dragged into forests by terrorists and kidnappers. Three years into this administration, communities remain vulnerable. Three years into this administration, citizens continue to pay the price for a government that appears more concerned with managing headlines than securing lives.

“When governments become consumed by self-praise, they stop listening. When they stop listening, they stop learning. And when they stop learning, they begin to fail.”

Atiku said the Tinubu administration has spent three years asking Nigerians to ignore their lived experiences and instead believe carefully curated narratives from government spokespersons.

“They tell Nigerians the economy is improving, yet families skip meals. They tell Nigerians insecurity is declining, yet communities live in fear. They tell Nigerians prosperity is around the corner, yet businesses continue to collapse under unbearable pressure.

“No amount of propaganda can fill an empty stomach. No amount of spin can erase insecurity. No amount of government advertising can hide the suffering that millions experience every day.

“The true measure of governance is not what government says about itself. It is what citizens experience in their daily lives.”

The former Vice President warned that history is filled with governments that mistook the patience of the people for permanent acceptance.

“There is a difference between patience and satisfaction. There is a difference between endurance and approval.

“Nigerians have endured extraordinary hardship because they are resilient people. But resilience should never be mistaken for weakness. Patience should never be mistaken for surrender.

“The signs are everywhere. Across the country, Nigerians are asking hard questions. They are demanding accountability. They are refusing to be distracted by slogans and political theatre…”

Atiku stressed that democracy provides Nigerians with a peaceful and constitutional instrument for change.

“The ballot box remains the most powerful weapon in the hands of the people. It is stronger than propaganda. It is stronger than intimidation. It is stronger than incumbency.

“Those who believe that Nigerians will forget the hunger, insecurity, joblessness, and economic pain of the last three years are engaged in dangerous self-deception.

“Power belongs to the people. It does not belong to political parties. It does not belong to incumbents. It does not belong to governments. It belongs to Nigerians, and Nigerians reserve the right to reclaim it whenever they believe their trust has been betrayed.”

He urged citizens not to lose faith in democracy but to channel their frustrations into peaceful political action.

“Our responsibility is not merely to complain. Our responsibility is to organise, mobilise, participate, and vote.

“The future of Nigeria will not be determined by those who shout the loudest. It will be determined by those who show up, stand up, and vote for change.

“Let no one be deceived. The era of complacency is over. The era of propaganda is ending. The era of taking Nigerians for granted is coming to a close.

“The people are awake. The people are watching. And when the time comes, they will deliver their verdict through the ballot.”

The former Vice President said that while exposing the failures of the Tinubu administration is necessary, Nigerians deserve more than a catalogue of broken promises and missed opportunities; they deserve a credible alternative and a practical roadmap for national recovery.

“In the coming weeks, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will unveil a comprehensive policy blueprint that is the product of rigorous research, extensive consultations, and a painstaking review of the economic, security, institutional, and governance failures that have defined the APC administration and culminated in the present national crisis.

“This policy document will not merely diagnose the problems that have plunged millions of Nigerians into hardship; it will present bold, realistic, and actionable solutions. It will offer a clear pathway to economic recovery, job creation, security sector reform, fiscal discipline, educational revival, healthcare expansion, and the restoration of confidence in public institutions.

“Nigerians have heard enough excuses. They have listened to enough promises. They have endured enough suffering. What they seek now is leadership that is competent, compassionate, accountable, and genuinely committed to the public good.

“As the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, I make a solemn pledge to Nigerians that our campaign will be driven by ideas, not insults; by solutions, not slogans; and by competence, not propaganda.

“By the grace of Almighty God and with the mandate of the Nigerian people, the next administration under my leadership will assemble some of the finest minds, most accomplished professionals, and most experienced technocrats from across our nation. We will restore merit to governance, recruit competence into public service, and ensure that every major decision is guided by expertise, patriotism, and the national interest.

“The task ahead is daunting. The economic damage is severe. Public trust has been eroded. National cohesion has been strained. But Nigeria is greater than the failures of any government.

“We will rebuild our economy, restore security, strengthen our institutions, create opportunities for our young people, and return government to its primary purpose: serving the people.

“The era of excuses is ending. The era of accountability is approaching. The era of propaganda is fading. And with the support of Nigerians, a new chapter of competence, prosperity, security, and genuine hope shall begin.”

Atiku renewed his confidence in the Nigerian people and expressed optimism that the country can still be rescued through competent leadership, accountable governance, economic justice, and a renewed commitment to national security and unity.