The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, on Monday intensified his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, declaring that the worsening wave of insecurity and the Federal Government’s response to school kidnappings have exposed what he described as a complete collapse of governance.
In a statement posted on his X account, Obi accused the President of displaying a lack of compassion and leadership, insisting that Tinubu should either resign from office or abandon any ambition to seek re-election in 2027.
“The ultimate cost of uncompassionate leadership, as evident in the country today, is turning citizens’ frustration into deep, volatile resentment. It is even more traumatising when the leader presiding over that collapse demonstrates clear incapacity and a lack of compassion,” Obi stated.
The former Anambra State governor lamented that more than 50 days after the abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo State, there had been no meaningful progress towards securing their freedom, leaving the state government and residents feeling abandoned.
“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,” he said.
Obi disclosed that he had publicly appealed to the kidnappers on two occasions to release the children and had also spoken with Governor Seyi Makinde twice to express solidarity, insisting that the incident was “not just an Oyo problem but a Nigerian tragedy.”
He further revealed that on Friday, July 3, he travelled to Ibadan alongside Professor Pat Utomi to sympathise with the governor after over seven weeks had passed without the victims being rescued.
According to Obi, he shared his experience in tackling insecurity while serving as governor of Anambra State, recalling that former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan maintained constant communication with governors whenever serious security crises occurred.
“I recalled how President Olusegun Obasanjo, and later Presidents Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, would personally call us several times whenever we faced major security challenges,” he said.
Obi said he was stunned to discover during the meeting that President Tinubu had not contacted Governor Makinde since the abduction occurred.
“But, to my utmost shock, I discovered that, contrary to my assumption that they had been in regular communication over the matter, Governor Seyi Makinde had not received a single call from President Bola Tinubu,” he alleged.
Drawing comparisons with the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction, Obi recalled that Tinubu was among those who criticised then-President Goodluck Jonathan for delaying communication with the affected state governor.
“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. That call for IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION should actually be the case in this matter,” he said.
The NDC presidential candidate argued that the current administration had witnessed more than 13 school kidnapping incidents, yet the President had allegedly failed to demonstrate the urgency he once demanded from previous governments.
“Today, under President Tinubu, there have been more than 13 school kidnappings, yet the President has found it difficult to call the affected state’s chief executive after more than 50 days (over seven weeks). This is outrageous. I suspect the same may also have been the case in other school kidnapping incidents,” Obi stated.
He maintained that the country’s worsening insecurity was evidence that governance had broken down.
“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. It is now an indisputable fact that governance has completely collapsed under this administration.
“The situation reflects a total lack of capacity and compassion, compounded by glaring insensitivity,” he added.
Obi insisted that President Tinubu should accept responsibility for what he described as the country’s deteriorating condition by stepping down or abandoning any bid for another term in office. “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 concluded.
