Leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Prince Adewole Adebayo has blamed worsening insecurity in the country on leadership failure.
 
Adebayo, who was reacting to the recent killings in Bassa and Bokkos local councils of Plateau State as well as some parts of Benue State during an interview, stated that he totally agrees with the late literary icon, Professor Chinua Achebe, who many years ago traced the problem of Nigeria to leadership.
 
He said: “I’m directly saying it’s a failure of leadership. Achebe said it four decades ago and he was right; leadership is Nigeria’s problem. And I don’t need to tell you that President Tinubu is a full-fledged mascot of leadership failure. A living example of how leaders fail while still alive.
 
“Insecurity is not new. Nobody can say, ‘Oh, when I was running for election in 2023, I didn’t know there was insecurity.’ The insecurity that we have now is a sign of poor governance.”
 
He advised the President to investigate those working with him and take concrete steps to curb insecurity in the country as the Commander-in-Chief who has the primary responsibility to protect the lives and properties of Nigerians.
  
“He needs to look around. The office of Commander-in-Chief isn’t just about wearing agbada. The president is the head of state, the father of the country, whom we can be proud of. He is the comforter of the bereaved. His position requires compassion; it requires presence. Even if the problem is outside your jurisdiction, the president must show empathy. When a boat capsizes and people die, he must be a comforter of the bereaved; a co-celebrant in joy and a co-mourner in pain,” he added.
 
He also advised Tinubu to resign if the job is too much for him.
 
His words: “Have you seen weightlifters? When they can’t lift the object, they drop it. You will train more and try again, but if, after everything, you still can’t lift it, what do you do? You resign. That’s why the constitution provides for voluntary resignation.
 
“That’s why you choose a capable vice president. If anything happens to you, or if you quit, the person steps in. But in Tinubu’s case, he hasn’t even lifted the weight. He’s just sitting there, enjoying himself, doing fashion. Not doing the job, but holding the trophy and calling himself a champion.”