Peter Obi Calls for Tinubu’s Resignation Over Oyo Abduction Incident

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2027, has again urged President Bola Tinubu to resign or not seek re-election. This is due to what he calls the president’s poor handling of insecurity in Nigeria.

In a post on his verified X account on Monday, Obi claimed that Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde told him that Tinubu had not contacted him for more than 50 days after the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in the state.

Obi, who was once the governor of Anambra State, said that Tinubu’s failure to rescue the victims and address the security crisis shows his incapacity and lack of compassion. He stated, "The government and people of Oyo State, more than 50 days after the abduction of the schoolchildren without any tangible effort toward their rescue, should rightly feel bitter and abandoned."

The former governor visited Governor Makinde on Friday, accompanied by Nigerian political economist Pat Utomi. During the visit, he learned from Makinde that Tinubu had not reached out to express sympathy about the abduction.

Obi said, "Amid such an apparent display of incompetence, the President should either resign or, at the very least, abstain from seeking re-election for the sake of our dear country. This call is patriotic, not political."

He pointed out that past Nigerian presidents, like Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and Muhammadu Buhari, usually called several times when similar events happened during their time in office. Obi recalled, "I remember the only case of a school kidnapping during President Goodluck Jonathan’s era, the Chibok girls. It drew local and international attention."

He added, "Even though the security agencies provided almost daily updates on their efforts, Nigerians and the rest of the world were outraged that it took President Jonathan over two weeks to call the then state chief executive."

Obi noted that Bola Tinubu, who is now president, was among those who criticized Jonathan during that time. He said, "I vividly recall that the current President, Bola Tinubu, led a team of vocal critics who called for President Jonathan’s immediate resignation over the incident, citing his delay in calling the state governor."

He emphasized, "That call for immediate resignation should actually be the case in this (Oyo abduction) matter."

Obi expressed his shock that there had been about 13 school abductions under Tinubu’s administration without the president contacting the governors of the affected states in over seven weeks.

He stated, "This is outrageous. I suspect the same may also have been the case in other school kidnapping incidents. I cannot imagine any issue more important than the lives of our kidnapped children, their teachers, and the many other Nigerians being held captive across the country."

Obi concluded, "It is now an indisputable fact that governance has completely collapsed under this administration."

In June, Obi had also called for Tinubu to resign due to the worsening security situation in Nigeria.

But Bayo Onanuga, a spokesperson for the president, dismissed Obi’s call as misplaced. He claimed it was based on a selective view of events in Nigeria since 2023.

Onanuga stated that Tinubu inherited long-standing challenges but has made progress through military operations and more investments in security.

He noted that hundreds of kidnapped victims had been rescued and over 15,000 terrorists neutralized through ongoing operations across the country. He said, "It is laughable that Obi, who, as governor, was a colossal failure, unable to secure lives and property in his small state of Anambra, is now calling for President Tinubu’s resignation over security breaches in some parts of the country."