2027: Adebayo Vows To Make Constitution’s Chapter 2 Blueprint For Governance

The Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), for the 2027 general election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has proposed a major shift in Nigeria’s governance framework, saying Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution should become the central guide for government policies, budgets and programmes.

Adebayo made this proposal in his 2027–2031 governance blueprint, Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity* where he argued that the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy should no longer be treated as largely symbolic provisions of the Constitution.

He said the provisions should instead serve as an operational mandate against which government policies and performance are designed and measured.

According to the blueprint, an Adebayo administration would align its policies, programmes, projects, budgets and institutional reforms with constitutional objectives covering security and welfare, democracy, social justice, national integration, economic development, human dignity, equal opportunity, education, environmental protection and accountability.

The SDP candidate said government performance should not be judged by the number of projects announced or commissioned, but by their impact on the daily lives of Nigerians.

He identified security, food, healthcare, education, housing, employment, water, energy, transportation, justice and digital access as practical indicators for measuring government performance.

Under the proposal, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) would be required to identify the specific constitutional objectives their major programmes are designed to achieve and report measurable outcomes.

Adebayo said the approach would promote results-based governance by ensuring that public expenditure has a clear connection to constitutional responsibilities and citizens’ welfare.

The proposal is anchored on Section 13 of the Constitution, which requires all organs and authorities exercising legislative, executive or judicial powers to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of Chapter II.

Chapter 2 outlines the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy, including the security and welfare of citizens, national integration, social justice, economic development, human dignity, education, environmental protection and accountable governance.

Adebayo argued that the provisions should provide more than aspirational language, insisting that they should form the basis for evaluating government decisions and expenditure.

He said the central question for any government should be whether its actions make Nigerians safer, healthier, more productive and economically secure.

The proposal places constitutional obligations at the centre of Adebayo’s 2027–2031 political agenda and offers a different yardstick for assessing governance.

Rather than measuring success primarily through announcements and commissioned projects, the blueprint proposes judging government by measurable improvements in citizens’ lives.