The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of adopting an ineffective approach to governance and making questionable ministerial appointments.

Adebayo spoke on Thursday while addressing the Middle Belt Forum, where he questioned the administration’s handling of the country’s challenges.

Using an aviation analogy, the SDP candidate compared the experience of governing Nigeria to placing an inexperienced person in the cockpit of an aircraft.

He argued that without a proper understanding of the responsibilities and complexities of the presidency, a leader could become overwhelmed by the numerous challenges confronting the country.

“You assume an office and you don’t know what it means, it’s like carrying a young man into the cockpit of an aircraft. He is seeing so many buttons, he does not know what they represent,” Adebayo said.

He added that President Tinubu, like some leaders before him, may be confronted with numerous policy choices and challenges without adequately understanding how to respond to them.

According to Adebayo, effective leadership requires a deep understanding of Nigeria, its people and the challenges confronting the country.

The SDP candidate also criticised the administration’s approach to the appointment of ministers, particularly what he described as the concentration of key positions among individuals from the same state and local government.

He questioned the rationale behind appointing multiple ministers from one state while other parts of the country remain underrepresented.

“We do not have the greed to go to one state and choose three ministers for one state. Where in my state, for example, the Minister of Finance and Minister of Interior are from the same local government. Nobody who is a responsible leader will govern like that,” he said.

Adebayo called for a more balanced and inclusive approach to governance, stressing that national appointments should reflect fairness, competence and broader representation.