SDP’s Adebayo Says Tinubu Deserves a Handshake If He Wins a Truly Free and Fair Election

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has challenged the federal government and electoral umpires to focus completely on structural credibility over political sentiment, stating that even a political opponent deserves recognition if they win under perfectly transparent conditions. Speaking on national political realities, the opposition leader maintained that if the country successfully conducts an election that is unarguably free, fair, and credible, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerges victorious again, he would personally deserve a handshake of congratulations.

Adebayo’s commentary addresses deep, lingering public skepticism surrounding Nigeria’s electoral system and institutional independence. The legal practitioner and media entrepreneur argued that true democracy is rooted in uncompromised processes rather than pre-determined outcomes. While noting that opposition parties remain firmly committed to offering alternative policy roadmaps to voters, Adebayo emphasized that the ultimate benchmark of political legitimacy rests entirely on a level playing field where votes are counted transparently, internal compliance is upheld, and the true will of the electorate is validated without structural interference.