Prince Adewole Adebayo, presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, on Tuesday unveiled a 2027 to 2031 policy blueprint promising to expand Nigeria’s electricity generation to 75,000 megawatts, establish four public refineries and 36 modular refineries, and pursue economic reforms aimed at reducing poverty and insecurity.

Adebayo presented the blueprint, titled Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity, in Abuja as part of his campaign ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

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The document places human development, economic productivity, infrastructure and institutional reform at the centre of his proposed administration.

The 75,000MW power plan represents one of the most ambitious elements of the SDP’s proposed economic programme.

Adebayo has said the target would be pursued through a combination of decentralised generation, renewable energy, gas and hydroelectric power, alongside rehabilitation of existing hydro stations.

Adebayo also proposed four functional public refineries and 36 modular refineries, while seeking to create conditions for additional private investment in refining and petroleum-product exports.

The SDP candidate has separately proposed keeping petrol at about N200 per litre at the current exchange rate, arguing that Nigerians should not be expected to pay international fuel prices when domestic incomes remain substantially lower.

The policy blueprint goes beyond energy. Adebayo said his approach would seek to stabilise the naira through higher productivity and employment while addressing insecurity as a prerequisite for sustainable economic growth.

The party’s National Chairman, Professor Sadiq Gombe, reinforced that argument, linking security directly to production and prosperity.

“Without security, there can be no meaningful production; without production, there can be no sustainable prosperity,” Gombe said.

Gombe said the proposed administration would emphasise performance contracts, public monitoring and accountability, with citizens able to assess what government promised, what had been delivered and who was responsible for outstanding commitments.

Adebayo has presented the blueprint as an attempt to move Nigeria’s political conversation away from personality-driven campaigns and towards measurable policy outcomes.

Earlier elements of the plan called for Chapter II of the 1999 Constitution, which contains the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy, to become a practical guide for government budgets, programmes and reforms.

The candidate has argued that four years is sufficient for a determined administration to deliver significant structural improvements.

His position comes as political parties begin to sharpen their policy messages ahead of the 2027 contest.

On agriculture, SDP Vice-Presidential Candidate Dr Usman Bugaje highlighted what he described as Nigeria’s weak productivity compared with international benchmarks.

Bugaje said Nigerian agricultural productivity was around five to six metric tonnes per hectare, compared with an African average of about 20 metric tonnes.

He argued that reducing energy costs would be essential to improving productivity in agriculture, transport and manufacturing.

The SDP’s proposals come against the backdrop of persistent concerns over electricity supply, fuel prices, unemployment, insecurity and declining purchasing power. Those challenges have become central issues in the political debate surrounding the 2027 election.

Adebayo, who also contested the 2023 presidential election on the SDP platform, has sought to distinguish his campaign by presenting detailed policy proposals rather than relying solely on political rhetoric.

The scale of the proposed electricity target is particularly striking.

Nigeria’s existing power system has long struggled with generation, transmission and distribution constraints, meaning that reaching 75,000MW would require substantial investment not only in generation but also across-scale industrialisation.

His earlier power-sector proposals include greater use of renewable energy, the wider electricity network.

Adebayo has argued that Nigeria must plan beyond its current limitations and develop an energy system capable of supporting large-scale industrialisation.

His earlier power-sector proposals include greater use of renewable energy, decentralised generation and local manufacturing.

The refinery proposal similarly reflects the SDP’s stated within a four-year presidential term is likely to become a major issue for scrutiny as the campaign progresses.

The SDP has nevertheless presented the blueprint preference for domestic production and reduced dependence on imports.

Adebayo’s blueprint envisages public refineries operating alongside modular and privately owned facilities.

Whether the proposals can be financed and delivered within a four-year presidential term is likely to become a major issue for scrutiny as the campaign progresses.

The SDP has nevertheless presented the blueprint as a practical framework and urged Nigerians to examine its targets and implementation proposals.

For Adebayo, the central argument is that Nigeria’s problems are products of policy and leadership choices rather than unavoidable national limitations.

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With the 2027 election approaching, the SDP’s manifesto now gives voters a more defined picture of the economic and governance model Adebayo says he would pursue if elected.