Adebayo Says Nigeria ‘Drifting Without Leadership’, Accuses Tinubu of Running an ‘Absent-Minded Government’

Nigeria’s former presidential candidate under the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has delivered a scathing assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, alleging that the government has become “absent-minded, rudderless, and overwhelmed” as insecurity escalates across the country.

Speaking in an interview with journalist Ihechukwu Sunday, Adebayo said the government appears to be reacting blindly to crises rather than following a clear plan, arguing that Tinubu has “lost control” of his own administration.

He described the current state of governance as chaotic, claiming the presidency wakes up daily “responding to outrage rather than leading with purpose”.

According to him, the insecurity situation worsening across several regions is a direct reflection of “a government that has lost its map”.

Adebayo insisted that the administration’s actions in 2025 betray poor planning and failed promises from previous years.

“There are indications that the government has lost its map and it’s just waking up every day reacting to incidents,” he said. “President Tinubu has lost control of his own government, which he hasn’t had time to organise properly.”

He argued that citizens are essentially travelling in a ship “whose captain cannot find his way to the bridge”, adding that Nigerians deserve better leadership.

Adebayo accused government institutions of complicity in Nigeria’s security breakdown, suggesting that kidnappers are thriving due to failures within official structures.

He cited ransom payments running into millions of naira as evidence that security agencies and banks enforce strict rules only for regular citizens, not for criminal networks.

“You cannot commit a crime and last a week without people in government cooperating with you,” he said. “This is a government that captured someone in Nairobi and brought him to Nigeria, yet they cannot apprehend bandits moving with dozens of abducted citizens.”

Responding to suggestions that the opposition is exploiting national insecurity for political gain, the SDP figure said the government should reduce the number of “misfortunes” if it does not want to be criticised.

“You fail in security, fail in the economy, fail in culture, even in sports,” he said. “Every index is worse than what they met. You can’t expect people to remain silent.”

Adebayo disagreed with former US president Donald Trump’s remark describing Nigeria as a “disgraced country”, insisting the criticism was directed at the Tinubu administration, not the nation itself.

He also dismissed claims by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation that foreign powers may be fuelling recent attacks, comparing the excuse to “a goalkeeper complaining that the striker is kicking too fast”.

“Your responsibility is to stop the attacks,” he said. “Every tool needed to defend this country exists; the government simply refuses to use them effectively.”

Adebayo maintained that Nigeria has the resources, expertise, and global partnerships required to secure itself — but only under a government capable of coherent leadership.