The Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Adewole Adebayo, on Tuesday, came hard on President Bola Tinubu over the prevailing insecurity situation in Nigeria, saying the President should resign if he cannot protect Nigerians.
Adebayo stated this while speaking with journalists shortly after a closed-door meeting with Governor Seyi Makinde at the Governor’s Office, Secretariat in Ibadan, the state capital.
He explained that he was in Ibadan to show solidarity with the people and the Oyo State Government following the invasion of three different schools by bandits in the Oriire Local Government Area of the state.
The reports that many teachers and students were abducted during coordinated attacks on Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School and L.A. Primary School, Esiele, in the Local Government Area of the state, penultimate Friday, around 9:30 a.m.
The SDP presidential candidate further accused the Federal Government of failing in its constitutional responsibility to safeguard lives and property, describing the situation in Oyo as part of a wider national security crisis.
Adebayo said, “The reason why we came here is to give solidarity to the people of Oyo, Government of Oyo State, and to sympathise with the communities. What Oyo State is going through today is what many states are going through.
“And that’s because President Tinubu has failed to do his job as Commander-In-Chief. If you cannot secure your state, which is the heart of Yorubaland, what is the use of being government at all?”
The SDP chieftain said the Tinubu administration had failed in its primary duty, insisting that insecurity had spread across regions previously considered relatively safe.
Adebayo said, “The State Government is a victim of the failure of the Federal Government. President Tinubu is sitting on top of heavy security votes, which are used to destabilise political parties, instead of applying them for the armed forces to secure the country.”
He, therefore, warned that Nigerians could no longer treat the country’s security challenges lightly, citing killings and attacks across several states.
“You cannot run an economy, you cannot provide jobs, yet you cannot secure lives. What is the use? Nigerian people need to understand that it’s no longer a joke. I told Tinubu sometime last year that you have to use your gun to kill the terrorists or use a pen to resign. If you can’t do it, quit the job. Other people will do it,“ he said.
He also expressed concern over attacks on both civilians and military personnel, lamenting what he described as a deteriorating national security environment.
“That teacher who got beheaded, if he wanted to join the army, he would have joined the army. Now, we are in a country where generals are being killed like chickens.
“Leave politics aside. Focus on your job as Commander-In-Chief. Nigerian Armed Forces are capable of defending not only Nigeria but the entire West Africa, if only they had a Commander-in-Chief who could lead them properly,“ he said.