The Presidency on Monday dismissed calls by the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for President Bola Tinubu’s resignation as “childish, hollow and an unworthy distraction.”
It also cited economic data on Tinubu’s performance over the past three years, arguing that it contrasts with Obi’s own record as governor of Anambra State.
In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said Obi’s comments were an attempt to undermine the APC’s victory in the just-concluded Ekiti governorship election and senatorial by-elections.
Onanuga said Obi’s comparison of Tinubu’s situation to that of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who resigned hours earlier, exposed what he described as a misunderstanding of Nigeria’s constitutional structure.
He argued that Obi’s claim that Nigeria was in its “worst possible condition” did not align with verifiable economic data and international assessments of the administration’s performance.
“The Presidency on Monday dismissed calls by the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for President Bola Tinubu’s resignation as ‘childish, hollow and an unworthy distraction.’
“It cited economic data on Tinubu’s performance in the past three years, arguing that it contrasts with Obi’s own record as governor of Anambra State.
“In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said Obi’s latest comments were an attempt to undercut the APC’s victory in the just-concluded Ekiti governorship election and the senatorial by-elections.
“Onanuga said Obi’s comparison of Tinubu’s situation to that of the British Prime Minister Kier Starmer, who resigned hours earlier, exposed the former Anambra governor’s misunderstanding of Nigeria’s constitutional architecture.
“He argued that Obi’s verdict that Nigeria was in its ‘worst possible condition’ did not match verifiable economic data and global assessments of the administration’s performance.
“The statement read, ‘Peter Obi’s latest comments calling for President Bola Tinubu’s resignation, based on a comparison with the British Prime Minister’s voluntary exit, are not only misplaced but also reflect a selective and distorted view of Nigeria’s realities since 2023.
“‘His view is also simplistic, as is often the case anytime he opens his mouth. Obi forgets our country does not run a parliamentary system of government like the UK. We run a presidential system, with the president elected to a fixed four-year term.
“‘The people of Ekiti State and the senatorial constituents in Nasarawa, Enugu, Ondo and Rivers have just delivered a resounding victory for President Tinubu and his party. The election results, some early referendum of sorts, show that President Tinubu and his party are popular with Nigerians.’
“The Presidency warned Obi that the results of the recent elections were more ominous for his own political future than for Tinubu’s.
“‘This should be more concerning for Peter Obi and his new Special Purpose Vehicle, NDC, as we move towards the January 2027 election.
“‘Obi should wait until the presidential election to know what the people think of Tinubu’s government.
“‘Moving to use X to harangue the President out of office is off the mark and anti-democratic,’ the Presidency stated.
On security, the Presidency cited a series of operational successes it said Obi had deliberately ignored.”
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