The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 general election, Adewole Adebayo, has alleged that he contested the election against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rather than fellow candidates.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Adebayo criticized the conduct of the 2023 presidential election, alleging that the process was riddled with fraud and that the electoral commission legitimized what he described as “fake” election figures.
According to him, the 2023 exercise failed to reflect the true will of the electorate, expressing hope that the 2027 general election would be conducted in a more transparent and credible manner.
“In 2023, I contested against INEC. INEC was the opponent. It’s like you allow a bank robber to count the money stolen from the bank, and you say that’s his profit. So what happened in 2023 was not good at all. All those numbers were fake,” he said.
Adebayo called on the electoral commission and security agencies to remain neutral in future elections, insisting that no candidate should perceive INEC as an adversary.
He also urged the INEC leadership, including its chairman and electoral commissioners, to ensure that the 2027 elections are conducted fairly.
“The difference I would want now is that no candidate should see INEC as an enemy. If it is candidate versus candidate, then we are ready. But there is no candidate who should be unfortunate enough to be running against INEC, like we were running against INEC in 2023, and that is what we need to change,” he stated.
He likened elections to an examination, stressing that just as a student’s score should reflect their performance, election results should accurately represent the votes cast by Nigerians.
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