The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has promised to end what he describes as the misuse of public funds to maintain the lavish lifestyles of politicians if elected president.
Adebayo said an SDP-led government would redirect trillions of naira allegedly spent on luxury vehicles, government buildings and other executive privileges towards education, healthcare and essential infrastructure.
The candidate made his position known in a statement signed by Comrade Mark Adebayo, Chief Media and Communications Adviser to the Adebayo-Bugaje Presidential Campaign.
“We will stop Nigerians from subsidizing the lavish lifestyles of politicians,” Adebayo stated.
He argued that Nigeria’s widespread economic hardship was not caused by a shortage of resources but by a political class that prioritised excessive spending over the welfare and development of citizens.
“The widespread economic hardship across the country is not due to a lack of resources but rather the result of a ruling class that prioritizes institutionalized waste over human capital development,” he said.
Adebayo criticised successive governments for allocating substantial public funds to executive comfort while millions of Nigerians struggle with inflation, rising fuel costs and deteriorating public services.
Adebayo Questions Spending on Political Luxury
The SDP candidate’s campaign said spending on political privileges had reached several trillion naira annually, citing civil society monitoring reports, budget analyses and disclosures from state governments.
According to the statement, federal spending on luxury utility vehicles, presidential fleet upgrades, State House renovations and regional empowerment programmes for political aides accounts for a significant portion of the expenditure.
The campaign estimated that nearly ₦1 trillion was regularly earmarked or spent across budget cycles on such items.
It also cited mid-2026 budget implementation figures which, according to the statement, showed that more than 30 state governments spent over $300 million, equivalent to approximately ₦410 billion, on governors’ offices, Government Houses and executive travel within six months.
The campaign argued that expenditure of this nature could exceed ₦1 trillion annually across Nigeria’s 36 states.
Adebayo further criticised what he described as excessive spending on official vehicles, including armoured vehicles and management fleets, as well as luxury cars purchased by state governments outside standard appropriation bills.
“If what we read from independent tracking of state and federal agencies by concerned NGOs and experts are of any substance, we consider consistent multi-billion Naira deviations for luxury armor vehicles, such as recent single-agency procurements exceeding ₦10 Billion for official management fleets, alongside state governments buying luxury vehicles entirely outside standard appropriation bills as criminal wastes in the midst of mass suffering induced by the anti-people policies of the current APC administration,” the statement said.
SDP Promises Financial Reforms
Adebayo maintained that an SDP government would eliminate the alleged waste of public resources and redirect the funds towards projects that directly benefit Nigerians.
He argued that four years would be enough for a committed and transparent president to reform public finances, end what he described as unconstitutional vehicle allowances and deliver functional infrastructure.
The SDP candidate also called on Nigerians to reject political leaders who treat public funds as personal resources.
He reaffirmed his party’s commitment to an economic system that prioritises public welfare, domestic production and transparent governance.
The campaign said its proposed approach would focus on ensuring that government spending delivers tangible benefits to citizens rather than sustaining the privileges of public officeholders.
