Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s conduct, arguing that the president does not reflect the traditional Yoruba values associated with the concept of *omoluabi*.
Adebayo made the remarks on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s *Inside Sources*, where he compared Tinubu’s leadership with the standards set by prominent Yoruba political figures, including the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Ladoke Akintola.
The SDP candidate said Tinubu fell short of the character and leadership qualities he believed should represent the Yoruba people.
“There is no traditional ruler, Afenifere or clergy who can honestly go to a Yoruba gathering and say that Bola Tinubu is a Yoruba person,” Adebayo said.
He argued that Awolowo and other prominent leaders of the Second and Third Republics had established a standard of public conduct that, in his view, Tinubu had not met.
Adebayo also rejected the suggestion that Yoruba identity should be defined by the actions of an individual leader, insisting that the culture was not rooted in tribalism or nepotism.
He said Yoruba parents would not use what they considered a poor example of leadership to inspire their children.
The comments add to the political criticism directed at Tinubu as political parties and their leaders position themselves ahead of the 2027 general election.
Tinubu’s response to Adebayo’s remarks was not included in the report.