The Presidency has dismissed former Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi’s call for President Bola Tinubu to resign, describing it as “childish”, “unwarranted” and “anti-democratic”, hours after APC recorded victories in weekend off-cycle polls.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Obi’s comparison of Tinubu to the Former UK Prime Minister,Keir Starmer who quit voluntarily was “misplaced” because Nigeria runs a presidential system with a fixed 4-year term. He cited APC wins in Ekiti governorship and senatorial seats in Nasarawa, Enugu, Ondo and Rivers as “an early referendum” showing Tinubu’s popularity, and advised Obi to “wait until the 2027 presidential election”.
On security, Onanuga said Tinubu inherited “longstanding, deeply rooted” challenges but has made “significant, measurable progress”. He listed the rescue of hundreds of captives in Borno and the Northwest, neutralisation of terrorist kingpins with foreign support, and the removal of “over 15,000 terrorists” from streets and forests. He added that the administration has expanded use of drones and appointed a Special Adviser on Homeland Security.
Economically, the statement rejected Obi’s claim that “we are in the worst possible condition”. Onanuga said Nigeria has posted positive GDP growth every quarter since May 2023, trade surpluses are consistent, foreign reserves exceed $50bn, and oil output has risen from under 1mbpd to about 1.8mbpd. Federation revenue is projected at over N30tn in 2026, against N7.7tn in 2022. The All-Share Index, he said, has risen from 50,000 to over 250,000.
On infrastructure and social policy, the Presidency highlighted ongoing construction of concrete Lagos-Calabar and Sokoto-Badagry superhighways, rollout of CNG as petrol alternative, and interest-free loans for nearly 2 million tertiary students. It also noted there has been no ASUU or NASU strike disrupting the academic calendar under Tinubu, calling it “a promise well kept”.
Addressing power, Onanuga said Tinubu’s campaign pledge was misquoted. He said the Electricity Act signed in 2023 allows states to generate and distribute power, millions of prepaid meters have been rolled out, and off-grid solar is being deployed to schools, hospitals and markets. He blamed transmission and pricing as the remaining bottlenecks, worsened by global shocks including the Middle East crisis.
Concluding, Onanuga said Obi’s resignation demand was “political grandstanding” and “a figment of his imagination”. “Leadership is about determination to confront challenges… President Tinubu focuses on solutions, not rhetoric,” he said, adding that Tinubu has “shown he is up to the task”.
