Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has urged Bola Tinubu to resign over what he described as failures in governance or, alternatively, not seek re-election in 2027.
In a statement issued on Monday by his spokesman, Idris Zekeri, Obi said the President’s handling of national security and governance had negatively affected citizens’ welfare and heightened concerns about corruption.
According to the statement, Obi said recent events had strengthened his call for Tinubu to step aside, stressing that his appeal was driven by patriotism rather than political considerations.
Obi recalled that in 2014, following the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, then opposition leader Tinubu called on former President Goodluck Jonathan to resign, accusing him of failing to demonstrate leadership and compassion after waiting 19 days before contacting the then Governor of Borno State.
He argued that a similar situation had played out under the current administration, noting that 52 days had passed since the abduction of 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers from a school in Oyo State on May 15, 2026, without what he described as a meaningful gesture of solidarity from President Tinubu to Governor Seyi Makinde.
Obi questioned whether the President remained fit to continue leading the country, citing what he described as an escalating leadership crisis.
He said he had publicly addressed the Oyo school abduction on two occasions, including appealing directly to the kidnappers to release the victims, and had also spoken with Makinde twice to express solidarity.
The former Anambra governor added that he visited Ibadan on July 3 alongside Pat Utomi to identify with the governor and discuss the security situation.
According to Obi, Makinde told him during the visit that he had not received any phone call from President Tinubu regarding the abduction.
Drawing from his tenure as governor of Anambra State, Obi said former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Jonathan regularly contacted state governors during major security crises.
He maintained that the current administration had recorded more than 13 school abductions and argued that the President’s alleged failure to personally engage affected governors reflected a lack of leadership and empathy.
Obi said the continued captivity of schoolchildren, teachers and other Nigerians highlighted what he described as a breakdown in governance under the Tinubu administration.
He insisted that, given what he termed “glaring incompetence,” the President should either resign or decline to contest for another term in 2027.
“This appeal is motivated by patriotism, not politics. A New Nigeria is Possible,” the statement added.
