Peter Obi, the 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has renewed his call for President Bola Tinubu to resign or refrain from seeking re-election, accusing the president of mishandling the country's security crisis. In a post on his verified X handle on Monday, Obi referenced the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, claiming that Governor Seyi Makinde told him Tinubu had not contacted him more than 50 days after the incident.
Obi's accusations against Tinubu
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, asserted that Tinubu's failure to rescue the abducted victims and address the broader security challenges demonstrates incapacity and a lack of compassion. “The government and people of Oyo State, more than 50 days after the abduction of the schoolchildren without any tangible effort toward their rescue, should rightly feel bitter and abandoned,” he stated.
During a visit to Governor Makinde alongside Nigerian political economist Pat Utomi on Friday, Obi learned that Tinubu had not expressed sympathy over the abduction. “Amid such an apparent display of incompetence, the President should either resign or, at the very least, abstain from seeking re-election for the sake of our dear country. This call is patriotic, not political,” Obi said.
Comparison with past administrations
Obi recalled that former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and Muhammadu Buhari typically contacted state governors promptly during similar attacks. He highlighted the Chibok girls' abduction under Jonathan's tenure, noting that despite daily security updates, Jonathan faced outrage for taking over two weeks to call the then-governor. “I vividly recall that the current President, Bola Tinubu, led a team of vocal critics who called for President Jonathan’s immediate resignation over the incident, citing his delay in calling the state governor,” Obi said. “That call for immediate resignation should actually be the case in this matter.”
Obi expressed shock that approximately 13 school abductions have occurred under Tinubu's administration, yet the president has not contacted affected governors after more than seven weeks. “This is outrageous. I suspect the same may also have been the case in other school kidnapping incidents. I cannot imagine any issue more important than the lives of our kidnapped children, their teachers, and the many other Nigerians being held captive across the country,” he stated.
Previous calls and response
This is not the first time Obi has called for Tinubu's resignation. In June, he made a similar demand citing worsening security challenges. However, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga dismissed the call as misplaced, accusing Obi of selective interpretation of developments since 2023. Onanuga stated that Tinubu inherited longstanding challenges but has recorded progress through intensified military operations and increased investments in security infrastructure. He claimed that hundreds of kidnapped victims have been rescued and more than 15,000 terrorists neutralised through sustained operations. “It is laughable that Obi, who, as governor, was a colossal failure, unable to secure lives and property in his small state of Anambra, is now calling for President Tinubu’s resignation over security breaches in some parts of the country,” Onanuga said.
