Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has stepped up criticism of President Bola Tinubu over the country’s worsening security situation.
Obi claimed the President had not personally contacted Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde more than 50 days after bandits kidnapped 37 pupils and teachers in the state.
Speaking about a recent visit to Makinde in Ibadan, Obi said he was surprised when the governor told him he had not received a single phone call from the President since the May 15 attack on a school in Oriire Local Government Area.
The former Anambra State governor said the alleged silence was troubling and showed a lack of compassion and leadership at the highest level.
In a statement posted on his social media pages, Obi said the continued captivity of the pupils and teachers, along with many other kidnap victims across the country, highlighted the seriousness of Nigeria’s security crisis.
“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 said he had earlier spoken about the incident, appealed to the kidnappers to release the victims, called Governor Makinde to show support, and later visited him with economist and political activist, Pat Utomi.
According to Obi, their meeting lasted about two hours and focused on security challenges and his experience fighting insecurity while serving as governor of Anambra State.
He also recalled that former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan regularly contacted state governors whenever major security incidents happened.
“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,” Obi stated.
Comparing the situation with the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction, Obi said Tinubu, then an opposition leader, had criticised Jonathan’s handling of the crisis and called for his resignation over “delayed presidential intervention”.
He said more than 13 school kidnappings had taken place under the current administration, yet there had not been the expected urgency in responding.
“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. This is outrageous,” Obi said.
Obi maintained that Nigeria’s security problems now demand decisive leadership. He said the repeated attacks on schools and communities point to wider governance failures and accused the Federal Government of lacking both the capacity and empathy needed to tackle insecurity. He added that the lives of kidnapped children, teachers and other citizens should come before every other national priority.
He again called on Tinubu to resign or decide against seeking another term in 2027, saying the appeal was in the national interest and not based on politics.
“This call is patriotic, not political. A new Nigeria is possible,” he declared.
Obi’s comments add to growing criticism from opposition figures over the Federal Government’s handling of insecurity. The country has witnessed repeated mass abductions, raising concerns about the safety of schools and rural communities. The Presidency, however, has continued to insist that security agencies are stepping up operations against criminal groups and has urged Nigerians to support efforts to restore peace nationwide.
