The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the 2027 general elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has vowed to completely overhaul Nigeria’s criminal justice system if elected, declaring that the nation cannot continue to have a system run by criminals.
Adebayo made the declaration on Thursday in Lagos while delivering a goodwill address at the annual lecture organized by the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR).
The lecture, which was held at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos on October 15, 2026, had as its theme “Understanding Human Rights Beyond Emotions and Personal Interests”.
The address, which was delivered on his behalf by his Campaign’s Chief Media and Communications Adviser, Comrade Mark Adebayo, was titled “The Counter-Intuitive Architecture of Human Rights”.
Justice For The Poor, Not Just The Rich
In the hard-hitting address, Prince Adebayo lamented the deep loss of public trust in Nigeria’s justice system, noting that those who administer the system are often adjudged as criminals by society.
According to him, this perception has created a dangerous culture of self-help among Nigerians.
“It’s just unfortunate that those who administer Nigeria’s criminal justice system are often adjudged, rightly or wrongly, criminals by the society. This diminishes trust in the system and consequently creates a dangerous culture of self-help,” he said.
He decried the double standard in the administration of justice in the country, where the poor are harshly punished for petty crimes while the rich and corrupt public officials escape justice.
“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,” Adebayo stated.
He promised that his administration will enthrone equality before the law.
“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.
Human Rights Beyond Emotions
Expounding on the theme of the lecture, Adebayo argued that human rights are designed to protect the individual precisely when it is most unpopular to do so, and should not be reduced to sentimental platitudes or weaponized for personal interests.
“Human rights are designed to protect the individual precisely when it is most unpopular to do so. In contemporary discourse, human rights are frequently reduced to sentimental platitudes or weaponized as instruments of personal interest,” he said.
He cited legal principles such as _Audi alteram partem_ (hear the other side) and referenced historical examples including John Adams’ defence of British soldiers in the 1770 Boston Massacre and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, to stress that defending even perceived monsters is defending the integrity of the legal system itself.
“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. When lawyers defend notorious criminals, they are not endorsing the crime; they are defending the integrity of the legal system itself,” he said.
Activism Must Rise
The SDP flagbearer also challenged the civil society and human rights community in Nigeria to rise to the current challenges facing the country.
He listed Nigeria’s 18.3 million out-of-school children, compromised electoral processes, and the clampdown on peaceful protesters as issues requiring urgent mass action from activists.
He congratulated the CDHR under the leadership of Comrade Debo Adeniran for staying the course of activism from its early days.
