The presidency has fired back at Peter Obi, the NDC’s 2027 presidential candidate, after he called for President Bola Tinubu to resign. Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser on information and strategy, dismissed Obi’s demand as flat-out childish.
Onanuga wrote: “Obi’s call for President Tinubu’s resignation is childish and an unwarranted distraction.” He added that the NDC chieftain’s analysis “is not only misplaced but also reflects a selective and distorted view of Nigeria’s realities since 2023.”
The rebuttal has since sparked a lot of reaction online. Femi Obaf asked whether the country’s current crises aren’t reason enough for a resignation: “Mr Bayo, are these horrible developments not enough for your principal to resign? We didn’t experience one-third of this when he demanded that Jonathan resign many years ago. Was Nigeria practising a parliamentary system of government then?”
Others echoed Obi. Excel said: “A long story doesn’t excuse a failed government. If he can’t fulfil the responsibilities of Commander in Chief, then he should resign. We cannot continue watching our citizens be kidnapped and killed with impunity. That is not leadership; it is the definition of failure.”
Átó Ásékù criticised the presidency’s priorities: “@aonanuga1956 is quick to respond to Peter Obi’s latest comments, calling for President Bola Tinubu’s resignation, based on a comparison with the British prime minister’s voluntary exit, but struggles to respond to the abducted Oyo school children and their teachers, who are still in captivity till now, with no hope of being rescued or released to be reunited with their families.”
Franklin Nwachu warned that security must come first: “It’s great when we are told what has been done and if we could be told future plans. A campaign should always be about ideas, not personal attacks. However, no matter the economic progress, without security of lives and properties is hollow.
Ifechukwu Okoro urged more constructive debate: “Strong opinions will always exist in politics, but national development requires constructive engagement, not just political point-scoring. Nigerians deserve honest conversations backed by facts and a commitment to solutions.”
You can read Onanuga’s full statement on X here.
