Tuesday, June 23, 2026 - The Presidency has responded to Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s call for President Bola Tinubu to resign, describing the demand as “childish” and “an unwarranted distraction.”
In a statement issued by presidential spokesman Bayo
Onanuga, the Presidency rejected Obi’s comparison of Nigeria’s situation with
recent political developments in the United Kingdom, arguing that the two
countries operate different systems of government.
According to the statement, “Obi’s call for President
Tinubu’s resignation [is] childish and an unwarranted distraction.” The
Presidency further stated that Obi’s analysis “is not only misplaced but also
reflect a selective and distorted view of Nigeria’s realities since 2023.”
Defending the president’s mandate, the statement noted that
Nigeria operates a presidential system with fixed terms of office. “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 4-year term,”
it said. The Presidency also pointed to recent election victories by the All
Progressives Congress (APC) in parts of the country as evidence of continued
public support for Tinubu’s administration.
“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 statement said, adding that the
results showed that “President Tinubu and his party are popular with
Nigerians.”
On security, the government said progress had been made
despite longstanding challenges across the country. “Hundreds of people have
been rescued from captivity. Our gallant troops have neutralised terrorist
kingpins. Over 15,000 terrorists have been taken off the streets and forests,”
the statement said. It added that the administration had “expanded investments
in security by deploying advanced technologies and drones.”
The Presidency also took aim at Obi’s record as governor of
Anambra State, stating that “it is laughable that Obi, who was a colossal
failure, unable to secure lives and property in his small state of Anambra,”
would criticise the current administration.
On the economy, the statement argued that key indicators
showed improvement under Tinubu’s government. “Since then, the Nigerian economy
has posted positive GDP growth every quarter. Foreign reserves have hit new
highs, over $50 billion,” it said.
The Presidency further claimed that “oil production has
risen from less than one million barrels per day to about 1.8 million,” while
“Federation revenue is projected to hit over N30 trillion this year.” It also
highlighted gains in the capital market, saying the stock market had risen
“from 50,000 to over 250,000.”
The statement pointed to ongoing infrastructure projects,
including the Lagos-Calabar and Sokoto-Badagry superhighways, and said the
government was “building concrete roads that will last 100 years or more across
all the country’s geopolitical zones.”
On education, it said “close to two million Nigerian
tertiary students” had benefited from the student loan programme, while also
highlighting reforms in the electricity sector. Responding to Obi’s criticism
of Tinubu’s electricity promises, the Presidency argued that the Labour Party
leader had misrepresented the president’s remarks.
It quoted Tinubu as saying: “Whichever way, by all means
necessary, you will have electricity, and you will not pay for estimated bills
anymore. If I don’t keep the promise and I come for a second term, don’t vote
for me; unless I give you adequate reasons why I couldn’t deliver.”
The statement said reforms, including the Electricity Act
and the rollout of prepaid meters, were already underway. Addressing the
broader issue of economic hardship, the Presidency argued that inflationary
pressures were not unique to Nigeria. “Any honest politician will agree this is
a global problem resulting from the tensions in the Middle East,” it said.
The Presidency concluded by insisting that Obi’s demand for
Tinubu’s resignation lacked merit. “Peter Obi’s call for President Tinubu’s
resignation is childish and hollow. It is not a call to hold the leader
accountable. It is merely a political grandstand and an unworthy distraction,”
the statement said.
In its closing remarks, the Presidency added: “With his puerile tweet on X, we are now convinced that Peter Obi lives in his self-constructed echo chambers. That reality he fantasies about is mostly a figment of his imagination.”
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