The Presidency has rejected calls by the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, for President Bola Tinubu to step down, describing the demand as “childish, hollow and an unworthy distraction.”
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency insisted that President Tinubu’s performance over the past three years, underlines key economic indicators which stood in sharp contrast to Obi’s own record as governor of Anambra State.
According to Onanuga, Obi’s latest remarks were aimed at diminishing the significance of the All Progressives Congress’ victories in the recently concluded Ekiti governorship election and the senatorial by-elections.
The presidential aide also faulted Obi’s comparison of Tinubu’s position with that of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who resigned hours earlier, arguing that the former Anambra governor failed to appreciate the differences between Nigeria’s constitutional framework and that of the United Kingdom.
“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,” the statement said.
Onanuga further accused Obi of oversimplifying complex issues, saying the opposition figure frequently ignored fundamental distinctions between the two countries’ systems of government.
“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,” the statement added.
The Presidency maintained that assertions by Obi that Nigeria was in its “worst possible condition” were inconsistent with what it described as verifiable economic data and favourable international assessments of the Tinubu administration’s performance.
