Former Ekiti State governorship candidate, Erelu Elebute Halle, has dismissed calls for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resign over the country’s worsening security challenges, insisting that stepping down would neither solve the problem nor guarantee the release of kidnapped victims.
Speaking on Adamimogo 105.1FM’s Daily Dose, Halle was reacting to comments by former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, who reportedly urged Tinubu to resign or forgo seeking another term following the prolonged captivity of schoolchildren abducted in Oba Omo Forest.
Halle argued that insecurity has remained a longstanding national challenge and should not be used as the sole basis for demanding the resignation of a sitting president.
“The federal government has been doing its best to ensure peace is restored and people are brought back home. One particular incident that has not been resolved should not be the reason why a government should resign,” she said.
The business woman turned politician maintained that presidential resignation is not a common political tradition in Africa, adding that previous administrations also faced severe security crises without their leaders stepping down.
Responding to the argument that Tinubu could make history by resigning, Halle questioned how such a move would improve the security situation.
“If he resigns today, does that bring the children back? Does it solve the issue?” she asked.
The former ADP governorship candidate further argued that if kidnappers explicitly demanded the President’s resignation as a condition for releasing the victims, it would become a matter for negotiation.
“If those who kidnapped the children come out and say the only reason they will release them is for the President to resign, then there can be dialogue on it. But nobody has said that. Nobody knows what these people really want.”
Halle also declined to take a definitive position on the controversy surrounding alleged fraudulent activities linked to a so-called “fake agency” involving officials close to the Presidency. She said she lacked sufficient facts to make a judgment but acknowledged that “bad eggs” exist in government.
“I’m watching the whole thing from afar. I’m not an investigative officer, so I can’t say who is right or wrong. Usually, there are bad eggs in government, and you cannot completely rule these things out,” she stated.
