The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has called on President Bola Tinubu to step aside before the 2027 general elections, arguing that Nigeria needs a more energetic and capable leader to address the country’s economic and security challenges.
Obi made the call while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he criticised the performance of the Tinubu administration and expressed concerns over what he described as the worsening state of the Nigerian economy and the country’s security situation.
The former Anambra State governor said the president no longer possesses the capacity required to effectively lead the country, adding that there was a significant difference between Tinubu’s performance as governor of Lagos State and his current role as president.
“The Bola Tinubu that was governor is not the one that is president today. He’s tired. He should be allowed to retire in peace and then go home,” Obi said.
He further argued that Nigeria was moving in the wrong direction under the current administration and insisted that the country needed a change in leadership to address its growing challenges.
“As it is right now, Bola Tinubu is leading us nowhere. We will turn it so he can see it. That’s why maybe I’m calling for his retirement. The man should just step aside. Yes, he doesn’t have the capacity to do the job,” he said.
Obi also urged Nigerians to focus less on political calculations and pay greater attention to issues affecting the daily lives of citizens, including poverty, hunger, education and insecurity.
According to him, recent projections indicate that a significant proportion of Nigerians could fall below the poverty line, while millions of others remain at risk of food insecurity.
The NDC presidential candidate also reacted to comments by United States President Donald Trump praising the Tinubu administration’s efforts to address insecurity in Nigeria.
While acknowledging the commendation, Obi maintained that the government needed to do considerably more to tackle the country’s security challenges.
“Thank you to Donald Trump. Thank you to President Trump. But we need to do more, far more than what we are doing,” he said.
Obi said that while some people, including Trump, may believe that President Tinubu had done his best, the scale of the challenges facing the country required more decisive action.
“I’ve heard people, and Donald Trump is now confirming it, say he has done his best. But with the crisis we are facing, his best is not enough. We need to do more,” he said.
He maintained that the country’s leadership must prioritise urgent solutions to economic hardship, insecurity, poverty, hunger and other challenges confronting Nigerians.
