The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has again called for the resignation of President Bola Tinubu, citing what he described as the President’s incapacity and failure to tackle insecurity.
Obi has previously called for President Tinubu’s resignation on two occasions, including on June 22 and July 5.
In a statement on Monday, Obi lamented that the ultimate cost of uncompassionate leadership, as evident in the country today, is turning citizens’ frustration into deep, volatile resentment.
“It is even more traumatising when the leader presiding over that collapse demonstrates clear incapacity and a lack of compassion,” he said. “The government and people of Oyo State, more than 50 days after the abduction of the schoolchildren without any tangible effort toward their rescue, should rightly feel bitter and abandoned.”
Obi recalled that since the unfortunate incident, he has spoken publicly about it twice, including appealing directly to the kidnappers to release the children.
He also stated that he called Governor Seyi Makinde twice to assure him of his solidarity, acknowledging that the issue is not just an Oyo problem but a Nigerian tragedy.
He further revealed that on July 3, he travelled to Ibadan with Prof. Pat Utomi to express solidarity with Governor Makinde, as more than 50 days had elapsed without the rescue of the children, while numerous others remained in captivity across the country.
Obi disclosed that during the two-hour meeting, he shared his experience in addressing insecurity as Governor of Anambra State.
According to him, President Olusegun Obasanjo, and later Presidents Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, would personally call him several times whenever Anambra State faced major security challenges.
However, he said he was shocked that, contrary to his assumption that they had been in regular communication over the matter, Governor Makinde had not received a single call from President Bola Tinubu.
Obi recounted that the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls was the only school kidnapping during President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration and that it drew local and international attention.
“Even though the security agencies provided almost daily updates on their efforts, Nigerians and the rest of the world were outraged that it took President Jonathan over two weeks to call the then State Chief Executive,” he remarked.
He equally recalled that the current President, Bola Tinubu, led a team of vocal critics who called for President Jonathan’s immediate resignation over the incident, citing his delay in calling the state governor.
“That call for immediate resignation should actually be the case in this matter,” he asserted, pointing out that there have been more than 13 school kidnappings under President Tinubu’s administration.
Obi lamented that the President had found it difficult to call the affected state’s chief executive more than 50 days after the abduction — over seven weeks later — describing the situation as outrageous.
He alleged that the same might also have been the case in other school kidnapping incidents. “I cannot imagine any issue more important than the lives of our kidnapped children, their teachers, and the many other Nigerians being held captive across the country,” he decried.
Obi stressed that governance has completely collapsed under Tinubu’s administration, describing it as an indisputable fact.
He emphasised that the situation reflects a total lack of capacity and compassion, compounded by glaring insensitivity.
“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,” he stated, adding that his call was patriotic, not political.
