ICYMI: Peter Obi urges Tinubu to resign over Oyo schoolchildren abduction

Politics

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resign or abandon any re-election bid, citing what he described as the administration’s failure to rescue abducted schoolchildren in Oyo State more than 50 days after they were kidnapped.

In a statement issued on Monday, Obi said he was shocked to learn from Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde that President Tinubu had not contacted him over the mass abduction of the schoolchildren and their teachers.

According to the former Anambra State governor, the development reflects what he described as a collapse of governance, leadership failure and a lack of compassion for victims of insecurity.

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“Today, under President Tinubu, there have been more than 13 school kidnappings, yet the President has found it difficult to call the affected state’s chief executive after more than 50 days. This is outrageous,” Obi said.

He said the government and people of Oyo State had every reason to feel abandoned, noting that the prolonged captivity of the children without their rescue represents a national tragedy rather than a state issue.

Obi disclosed that he had previously spoken publicly about the abduction, appealed directly to the kidnappers to release the children and contacted Governor Makinde twice to express solidarity.

He added that on July 3, he travelled to Ibadan alongside Prof. Pat Utomi to meet the governor and discuss the security situation after more than seven weeks had elapsed without the children’s rescue.

During the meeting, Obi said he shared his experience in tackling insecurity as governor of Anambra State and recalled that former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan regularly contacted state governors whenever serious security incidents occurred.

“I discovered, to my utmost shock, that Governor Seyi Makinde had not received a single call from President Bola Tinubu,” he said.

Obi also referenced the 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, recalling that although the incident generated widespread public criticism, security agencies provided regular updates and the then President Goodluck Jonathan eventually contacted the Borno State governor.

He noted that Tinubu was among those who criticised Jonathan’s handling of the Chibok crisis and called for his resignation over what was then perceived as a delayed response.

“That call for immediate resignation should actually be the case in this matter,” Obi said.

According to him, no issue should take precedence over the rescue of kidnapped children, their teachers and other Nigerians being held captive across the country.

He argued that the continued wave of kidnappings demonstrates a lack of capacity, compassion and sensitivity on the part of the current administration.

“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.