 Between 1975 and 1978 he was Commissioner for Education and later Commissioner for Information and Economic Development in Kwara State.When the reforms instituted by the military ruler Lt. Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo led to democratic elections for the second republic in 1979, Adebayo was elected as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria running for the Unity Party of Nigeria.In 1983 he was elected governor of Kwara state, but lost the position on December 31, 1983 when the military overthrow led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari took control.