Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to either resign from office or abandon any plans to seek re-election in 2027, citing what he described as the Federal Government’s failure to tackle the country’s worsening insecurity.
Obi made the remarks in a statement shared on his social media platforms on Monday following a visit to Seyi Makinde over the continued captivity of schoolchildren abducted in Oyo State more than 50 days ago.
According to the former Anambra State governor, the prolonged ordeal of the victims highlights what he described as the collapse of effective governance and a lack of compassion from the nation’s leadership.
He expressed sympathy with the government and people of Oyo State, saying they had every reason to feel abandoned as efforts to secure the release of the children had yet to produce tangible results.
Obi disclosed that he had previously spoken publicly about the incident and appealed to the kidnappers to release the children. He also revealed that he travelled to Ibadan on 3 July alongside political economist Pat Utomi to express solidarity with Governor Makinde and
the affected families.He said the visit provided an opportunity to share his experience in handling security challenges during his tenure as governor of Anambra State, recalling that former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan regularly contacted state governors whenever serious security incidents occurred.
Obi, however, said he was surprised to learn from Governor Makinde that President Tinubu had allegedly not reached out to him since the abduction of the pupils.
Drawing comparisons with the 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, Obi noted that the incident attracted widespread criticism of the administration of former President Jonathan, with Tinubu among those who openly demanded greater accountability.
He argued that Nigeria had witnessed several school kidnappings under the current administration without what he considered adequate presidential engagement, insisting that the continued abductions reflected a serious governance failure.
According to Obi, leadership requires both competence and compassion, qualities he believes are lacking in the current administration. He maintained that, in the interest of the country, President Tinubu should either step down or refrain from contesting another term in office.
The presidency has not officially responded to Obi’s remarks at the time of filing this report.
