Social Democratic Party presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has pledged a sweeping overhaul of Nigeria’s criminal justice system if elected President in 2027, warning that the current structure disproportionately protects wealthy offenders and corrupt public officials while punishing poor Nigerians for minor crimes.
Adebayo said the widening gap in the administration of justice had weakened public confidence in state institutions and was encouraging a dangerous resort to self-help.
He spoke in Lagos on Thursday at the annual lecture of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, themed, “Understanding Human Rights Beyond Emotions and Personal Interests.”
His address, titled “The Counter-Intuitive Architecture of Human Rights,” was delivered on his behalf by his campaign’s Chief Media Adviser, Comrade Mark Adebayo, at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja.
Adebayo said public confidence in the justice system had been badly damaged by perceptions that some of those responsible for administering justice were themselves compromised.
“It’s just unfortunate that those who administer Nigeria’s criminal justice system are often adjudged, rightly or wrongly, criminals by the society,” he said.
According to him, the consequence is a justice structure that appears to punish poverty more severely than large-scale corruption.
“This diminishes trust in the system and consequently creates a dangerous culture of self-help because the current system helps rich criminals and corrupt public officials to escape justice while the innocent or a petty criminal who steals a one thousand naira bread is sentenced to 10 years in jail.
“The one who steals trillions from the treasury is taken to and from court in luxury jeeps,” he said.
Adebayo said his administration would pursue reforms designed to guarantee fairness, punish wrongdoing and protect innocent and vulnerable citizens.
“Our administration will overhaul Nigeria’s criminal system in a way that ensures equal delivery of justice, punishes criminals and protects the innocent and the poor. We cannot have a criminal justice system run by criminals,” he declared.
Beyond criminal justice reform, Adebayo argued that the real test of a society’s commitment to human rights lies in whether it protects due process even for people considered unpopular or morally objectionable.
He said rights should not be treated as rewards for good behaviour but as safeguards against arbitrary power.
“The true metric of a society’s commitment to human rights is not how it treats its saints, but how it treats its perceived monsters,” he said.
To buttress his argument, Adebayo cited historical examples including John Adams’ defence of British soldiers involved in the 1770 Boston Massacre and lawyers who defended unpopular defendants in major international war-crimes cases.
He argued that protecting due process for even the most despised defendants ultimately strengthens safeguards available to innocent people.
Adebayo also challenged civil society organisations to broaden their focus beyond selective causes and what he described as “prebendal activism.”
He urged activists to confront issues such as the large number of out-of-school children, electoral manipulation and restrictions on public protests.
“If Chief Gani Fawehinmi were alive today and Babangida were to suffer unjust treatment, Gani would be the first to stand in his defence,” he said.
The SDP candidate further accused the present administration of preparing what he described as a “comprehensive rigging machine” ahead of the 2027 general election, claiming the government could not rely on its performance to secure victory.
The allegation adds another layer to the increasingly tense political atmosphere ahead of the 2027 race, as opposition figures intensify criticism of the ruling government’s record, institutions and electoral strategy.
For Adebayo, however, the wider issue goes beyond electoral politics.
He insisted that no democracy can command lasting public trust where citizens believe justice is determined by wealth, influence or political connection rather than by law.
His message was blunt: unless the justice system is seen to punish wrongdoing fairly and protect the weak as firmly as the powerful, public confidence in the rule of law will continue to erode.
