Former Anambra State Governor and Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, has called for the resignation of President Bola Tinubu over what he described as leadership failures.
Obi made the call in a social media post on Monday, citing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s resignation as an example of owning up to leadership failures.
The former Governor noted that the British Prime Minister’s resignation comes amid mounting public frustration over a stagnant economy, a worsening cost-of-living crisis, and a perceived failure to honour key campaign pledges.
What Peter Obi is saying
Drawing inference from the UK’s incident, Obi, who recently emerged as the Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 elections, said President Tinubu has also failed to fulfil several promises made during the 2023 election campaigns and should follow Starmer’s example.
- “During the 2023 election campaign, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made several promises, including improved electricity supply.
- “He also challenged the electorate not to vote for him for a second term if he failed to deliver on those commitments—particularly in providing stable power, fighting corruption, and improving the welfare of Nigerians.
- “At present, however, these conditions have worsened. Electricity supply remains unreliable, insecurity has intensified in many areas, including kidnappings, and economic hardship has deepened rather than eased,” he said.
Obi added that similar concerns are reflected across other critical sectors such as security, infrastructure, transportation, and anti-corruption efforts, all of which have regressed. We are in the worst possible condition.
- “I, therefore, join Nigerians of goodwill in calling for the resignation of the President over monumental failure in governance,” he said.
According to Obi, such a gesture would help enthrone a political culture rooted in accountability and responsibility, rather than further entrenching impunity.
He added that Tinubu’s resignation would also “send a powerful message that public office is a sacred trust, not an entitlement, and help build a society in which future leaders understand that failure carries consequences.”
More insights
The NDC Presidential candidate justified his call for Tinubu’s resignation, citing similar calls made by the President in the past.
According to him, before 2015, President Tinubu had on several occasions championed the call for the then President Goodluck Jonathan to resign over economic hardship and insecurity affecting Nigerians.
He added that during the Chibok school kidnapping incident, he demanded the immediate resignation of President Jonathan, arguing that the government had failed in its most fundamental duty of protecting lives.
President Tinubu’s media team has yet to respond to Obi’s statement as of the time of filing this report.
What you should know
Nairametrics earlier reported that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that he would step down as both Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party.
Starmer made the announcement on Monday in a statement outside 10 Downing Street, saying he had listened to growing calls within his party over whether he remained the right person to lead Labour into the next general election.
According to him, he has heard the answer from the party and is accepting that verdict “with good grace.”
Starmer’s resignation follows months of mounting pressure within the Labour Party after poor local election results, falling approval ratings and growing dissatisfaction among MPs and cabinet members.
Several ministers had resigned in recent weeks while dozens of Labour lawmakers publicly called on him to step aside.
