Prince Adewole Adebayo, the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) 2023 presidential candidate, has criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for adopting IMF and World Bank policies that Tinubu previously protested during Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency.
Adebayo’s comments come ahead of nationwide protests planned for August 1, organized by youths and groups via social media. He expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of these protests, suggesting that preventing “empty-headed IMF drones” from gaining power through elections would be more impactful than trying to remove them through riots.
In a post on his X account, Adebayo remarked that the protests echo the political tactics of Buhari and Tinubu, who had opposed Jonathan’s implementation of similar policies, yet now pursue them with less consideration for the public.
“I opposed the Buhari-Tinubu charade then, and I oppose it now,” Adebayo wrote. “As Buhari and Tinubu opposed Jonathan in 2014, they were simultaneously lobbying the IMF and World Bank for political support based on the same policies Jonathan was forced to implement. As the SDP presidential candidate, I opposed subsidy removal, the floating of the naira, and many of the policies adopted by Tinubu, Atiku, and Obi. Instead, I advocated for the full implementation of Chapter 2 of the Constitution’s fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy.”
Adebayo’s reservations about the protests are rooted in his belief that elections have consequences and that the elected officials must be allowed to use their mandate. “A four-year tenure is sacred if we are to avoid chaos,” he said. “Protests lack ideological basis as their sponsors follow the same neoliberal policies. Voting wisely in the next election is crucial.”
He urged African youths to prioritize ideological politics and critically assess politicians’ past and present actions rather than idolizing them as celebrities. “A protest is effective if you voice disagreement lawfully. Organizing mass protests against policy measures can lead to counter-protests, achieving little since major political forces agree on the neoliberal economic policies causing the protests.”
Adebayo concluded by emphasizing the importance of advocating for alternative policies with better outcomes than IMF-inspired neoliberal experiments, organizing voters to vote in their socioeconomic best interests, avoiding chaos, and debunking the APC government’s misinformation.
