JUST IN: Presidency dismisses Obi’s call for Tinubu’s resignation as ‘childish’

Politics

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — The Presidency has dismissed a call by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resign, describing it as “childish,” anti-democratic and disconnected from Nigeria’s realities.

In a statement titled “Obi’s Call for President Tinubu’s Resignation Childish and an Unwarranted Distraction,” Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Obi’s comparison of Nigeria’s situation with the resignation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was misplaced.

According to Onanuga, Nigeria operates a presidential system with fixed terms, unlike the parliamentary system in the United Kingdom.

“Obi should wait until the next presidential election to know what Nigerians think of Tinubu’s government. Attempting to pressure the President out of office through social media is off the mark and anti-democratic,” he said.

The Presidency argued that recent electoral victories recorded by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State and several senatorial by-elections reflected growing public support for President Tinubu and his administration.

Responding to Obi’s criticism of insecurity, Onanuga said the administration inherited long-standing security challenges but had made measurable progress through intensified military operations, deployment of technology and increased investments in security.

He said thousands of terrorists had been neutralised, while hundreds of kidnapped victims had been rescued across the country.

On the economy, the Presidency rejected Obi’s claim that Nigeria was in its “worst possible condition,” citing improvements in revenue generation, foreign reserves, oil production and investor confidence.

According to Onanuga, Nigeria’s foreign reserves have surpassed $50 billion, oil production has increased to about 1.8 million barrels per day, while government revenue is projected to exceed N30 trillion this year.

He also highlighted gains in infrastructure development, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto-Badagry Highway projects, as well as reforms in the education and energy sectors.

The Presidency further accused Obi of misrepresenting Tinubu’s campaign promises on electricity, insisting that the administration had taken significant steps to improve power supply through the Electricity Act, prepaid meter deployment and off-grid energy projects.

While acknowledging the challenges posed by the high cost of living, Onanuga attributed part of the pressure to global economic disruptions, including tensions in the Middle East and their impact on commodity prices.

“Leadership is about confronting challenges and delivering solutions. President Tinubu remains focused on reforms, economic stability, security and laying the foundation for a more prosperous Nigeria,” he said.

The response followed Obi’s call for Tinubu’s resignation over what he described as “monumental failure in governance.”

In a statement titled “Owning Up to Leadership Failures and Political Responsibility,” Obi argued that worsening insecurity, economic hardship, unreliable electricity supply and declining public welfare justified the President’s resignation.

The former Anambra State governor said Tinubu had failed to fulfil key campaign promises and urged him to take responsibility in the same way he had demanded former President Goodluck Jonathan’s resignation in 2015 over insecurity and economic challenges.

Obi maintained that accountability in public office requires leaders to accept responsibility for failure, arguing that such a step would strengthen democratic governance and public trust.