The Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, has advised Nigerian politicians to always be truthful to the electorate and genuinely understand the needs of the people they seek to govern.

He gave the advice on Wednesday while receiving a delegation from the Social Democratic Party (SDP), led by its 2023 presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo.

The Emir commended the SDP’s approach to politics, stating that it is essential for politicians to move around and engage with the public to identify societal challenges firsthand.

Adebayo who noted that Nigeria is endowed with abundant resources, decried lack of honesty as the bane of the nation ‘s underdevelopment.

The monarch blessed the leader of the team and members of his entourage, including a former minister of Sports, Chief Simon Lalong.

Speaking earlier on Monday during the Ramadan Lecture/Iftar (breaking of fast) the 2023 presidential candidate of SDP, rated the administration of President Bola Tinubu low in security and socioeconomic development.

Fielding questions from newsmen Monday evening, he lamented many crises in the country coupled with the perceived intimidation and lawlessness in the National Assembly and Rivers State.

According to him, many Nigerians were disappointed in President Tinubu whom they initially saw as a renewed hope after late Chief MKO Abiola.

He said: “Tinubu is the current champion of disgrace. Among the long lines that have been coming with it. Because it is a disgrace where you are not able to feed the poor in a land of plenty when you fix roads.

“All of us who are here now, we came from Ondo, and our ears are banging as we are here now as if we went to an amusement park. So I think that we should have a serious overnment.

“Our constitution is designed with serious language in it. They are expecting that the person who is the president, head of state, or commander in chief will be someone who knows that this is the airport of black people in the world. And we should not be a basket case.

“Poverty, insecurity, underdevelopment, unemployment, those are the things that we are having conversations about. There are those who want to get to power anyhow and they will combine even with the devil”,he stated.

We are clamouring to serve the people. They are clamouring for themselves, Nigerians have reached a point that there is no where to go. In the next five years, population will grow by at least 10 per cent. There’s no work, there’s no food, there’s no education, there’s no housing, there’s no space in the public service. .

Answering another question on the state of emergency in Rivers State, the SDP presidential flagbearer said it was pathetic and unfortunate that the president could delete democratic structure in the state without recourse to the overall condition of the masses in the state.

According to him: “The president removed elected officials, both in the legislative and executive arm. That is clearly unconstitutional and the political leaders in the country, particularly Rivers State should remember that power that defines the constitution comes from the people and for the benefit of the people, they should resolve that issue immediately.

"You have also removed elected officials, both in the legislative and executive arm. That is clearly unconstitutional and the political leaders in the country, particularly Rivers state should remember that power that defines the constitution comes from the people and for the benefit of the people and that they should resolve that issue.