The Presidency has condemned the latest call on President Bola Tinubu to resign by the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Party (NDC), Peter Obi as childish and an unwarranted distraction.
Obi had on Monday called on Tinubu to take a cue from the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, who on Monday resigned his office following a sharp decline in public support, disastrous local election results and heavy internal dissent, and step down from the office of the President.
The Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga insisted that the recently concluded governorship elections in Ekiti and senatorial polls in Enugu, Nasarawa, and Ondo states were endorsements of Tinubu’s administration ahead of the 2027 presidential.elections.
He equally hinted that the government revenue would hit N30 trillion by the end of the year.
Onanuga said comparing the ex-British Prime Minister with the Nigerian leader was “not only misplaced but also reflect a selective and distorted view of Nigeria’s realities since 2023.
“His view is also simplistic, as is often the case anytime he opens his mouth. Obi forgets our country does not run a parliamentary system of government like the UK. We run a presidential system, with the president elected to a fixed 4-year term.
The people of Ekiti State and the Senatorial constituents in Nasarawa, Enugu, Ondo, and Rivers have just delivered a resounding victory for President Tinubu and his party.
The election results, some early referendum of sorts, show that President Tinubu and his party are popular with Nigerians. This should be more concerning for Peter Obi and his new Special Purpose Vehicle, NDC, as we move towards the January 2027 election.
Obi should wait until the presidential election to know what the people think of Tinubu’s government. Moving to use X to harangue the President out of office is off the mark and anti-democratic.”
He continued: “It is important to note that President Tinubu did not inherit a country in perfect shape.
The security challenges we face today are longstanding and deeply rooted. Yet under President Tinubu’s leadership, Nigeria has made significant, measurable progress.
Hundreds of people have been rescued from captivity, including high-profile operations in Borno and the Northwest. Our gallant troops have neutralised terrorist kingpins, sometimes with the help of our foreign allies.
Over 15,000 terrorists have been taken off the streets and forests, and security operations have intensified nationwide.
President Tinubu has not only sustained but also expanded investments in security by deploying advanced technologies and drones, and by appointing a Special Adviser on Homeland Security to ensure a holistic approach. These actions demonstrate commitment, not failure.
It is laughable that Obi, who, as governor, was a colossal failure, unable to secure lives and property in his small state of Anambra, as documented by his successor, Willie Obiano, is now the one calling for President Tinubu’s resignation over security breaches in some parts of the country.
“On the economic front, Obi’s depiction of decline and his verdict that “We are in the worst possible condition” ignore verifiable data and global plaudits for President Tinubu’s economic and social policies.
President Tinubu inherited what another successor of Peter Obi described as ‘a dead horse economy’.
When he came on board in May 2023, President Tinubu introduced bold, courageous policies that his predecessors had shied away from. Since then, the Nigerian economy has posted positive GDP growth every quarter, surpassing the global average.
Trade surpluses have been recorded consistently, and foreign reserves have hit new highs—over $50 billion. Oil production has risen from less than one million barrels per day to about 1.8 million.
