The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 general elections, Adewole Adebayo, has cautioned Nigerians against embracing what he described as “recycled politicians” ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said that many of the individuals now positioning themselves as leaders of the opposition were previously part of governments that contributed to Nigeria’s current political and economic challenges.

Adebayo, who spoke during an interview at the weekend, said replacing the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with politicians who previously held power without addressing key national problems would not bring the change Nigerians desire.

According to him, several politicians now presenting themselves as leaders of the opposition previously held positions where they had the opportunity to reform governance and improve the electoral process, but failed to do so.

“You cannot say you are against corruption or bad governance and then align with the same people who created the problem,” he said.

Adebayo also criticised some opposition politicians who recently moved into the African Democratic Congress (ADC), noting that many of them had spent years in government without introducing meaningful reforms.

He said some of those now criticising the current administration were part of governments that ignored opportunities to strengthen democratic institutions, including reforms to electoral laws.

“If you were in the Senate for 20 years and did not bring a single progressive law to improve elections, you cannot suddenly present yourself as the champion of electoral reform,” he said.

The SDP chieftain maintained that his party would not form any alliance with such politicians, insisting that doing so would contradict the principles it claims to uphold.

Adebayo further stated that Nigeria’s political future should focus on credible leaders and policies rather than building coalitions aimed solely at defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“You cannot remove one group responsible for the problem and replace them with another group that helped to create the same problem,” he further said.