By Chimezie Godfrey
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has renewed his call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resign or, at the very least, withdraw from the 2027 presidential election, alleging that the administration has failed to address worsening insecurity and other governance challenges.
According to a statement on Monday by the spokesman of the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR), Idris Zekeri Jnr., Obi said his appeal was driven by patriotism rather than politics, insisting that Nigeria’s current leadership had failed to protect citizens and respond compassionately to national tragedies.
Obi cited the abduction of 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers from a school in Oyo State on May 15, 2026, noting that more than 50 days after the incident, President Tinubu had yet to publicly reach out to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
He contrasted the development with the public criticism directed at former President Goodluck Jonathan following the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014, recalling that Tinubu, then an opposition leader, had demanded Jonathan’s resignation over his handling of the crisis.
Obi said he recently visited Ibadan alongside Pat Utomi to express solidarity with Governor Makinde and discuss the prolonged captivity of the abducted pupils and other Nigerians held by kidnappers.
According to him, the governor disclosed during the meeting that he had not received any telephone call from President Tinubu regarding the incident.
Drawing from his experience as governor of Anambra State, Obi said former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Jonathan regularly contacted state governors whenever serious security challenges arose.
He argued that the current administration had demonstrated a lack of empathy and capacity in tackling insecurity, adding that repeated school abductions and the continued captivity of victims reflected a deepening governance crisis.
Obi maintained that if President Tinubu could demand Jonathan’s resignation under similar circumstances while in the opposition, the same standard should now apply.
He further alleged that governance had deteriorated under the current administration and urged the President to either resign or decline to seek re-election in 2027 in the interest of national stability.
Obi concluded that his position was informed by concern for the country’s future, insisting that “a New Nigeria is Possible.”
Peter Obi Asks Tinubu to Resign, Cites Insecurity, Leadership Failures
