Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has declared that President Bola Tinubu must leave office in 2027, accusing his administration of plunging Nigeria deeper into economic hardship, insecurity, poverty and corruption.
Obi fired the salvo on Monday in Abuja at the inauguration of the NDC National Campaign Council, where he delivered a blistering indictment of the Tinubu administration and vowed to replace what he described as incompetent leadership with a government focused on solving Nigerians’ problems.
The former Anambra State governor accused Tinubu of presiding over a national crisis, insisting that growing hardship and deteriorating development indicators had strengthened the demand for a change of government.
“Tinubu has led this country into a crisis. Today, everything is collapsing. From our engagements across Nigeria, Nigerians are looking for new leadership, and we assure you that we will create that leadership,” Obi declared.
In one of his strongest attacks on the President, the NDC candidate questioned Tinubu’s capacity to lead Africa’s most populous nation, arguing that Nigeria needed a president who would be physically present, energetic and committed to confronting the country’s challenges.
“President Tinubu has led us with a government that lacks competence, capacity, compassion and commitment to deal with Nigeria’s problems,” he said.
“Above all, President Tinubu does not have the energy and resolve required to lead Nigeria today, and he must go home.”
Obi added: “We need him to go home. Nigeria cannot be governed with the energy he has today. Nigeria needs a president who will be available and present.”
‘Account For Borrowed Billions’
The opposition candidate also challenged Tinubu to explain how funds borrowed by his administration had been deployed, questioning the President’s decision to launch his re-election campaign without accounting for the achievements of the 2023, 2024 and 2025 budgets.
Obi accused the APC-led government of shifting responsibility for the country’s economic difficulties to the opposition instead of presenting a clear account of its performance.
“Just last Friday, President Tinubu launched his second general campaign rather than explain to Nigerians what he has used the billions he borrowed to do,” he said.
“Rather than explain what he has achieved with the 2023, 2024 and 2025 budgets, he chose to blame the opposition for creating poverty.”
He insisted that his proposed administration would reject blame-shifting and concentrate on delivering solutions to the country’s economic and social problems.
“Let me assure you: we will not lead a government of blame. The purpose of governance is to solve problems, not to blame people. I will not blame anybody. We will create that new Nigeria that is possible,” Obi said.
Vows War On Corruption
Obi identified corruption as the foremost obstacle to Nigeria’s recovery, promising a sweeping offensive against the practice if elected President.
“We need a revolution that will turn this country around, and we are committed to that. The APC-led government under President Tinubu has failed Nigeria,” he declared.
“We will start by fighting the most important problem crippling Nigeria today: corruption. We will ensure that we tackle corruption head-on in a manner nobody has tackled it before.”
He argued that corruption had undermined public resources and worsened the country’s ability to address poverty, hunger, unemployment and insecurity.
Cites Terrorism, Hunger Rankings
To reinforce his criticism, Obi cited Nigeria’s positions on global terrorism and hunger indices, alongside rising poverty levels, as evidence of what he described as the administration’s poor performance.
“There is no single indicator under Tinubu that has improved. When he came into office, our record on terrorism was better. Today, we are number four,” he said.
“When he came in, we were ranked 109th on the hunger list. Today, we are the 117th. When he came in, our poverty ranking was below 140. Today, we are above 140.”
He attributed the country’s worsening conditions to corruption, declaring: “No single indicator is working, except hunger, and this is because of corruption.”
The rankings cited by Obi were not independently verified in his remarks, and his sweeping assessment of the country’s development indicators was not accompanied by a detailed breakdown of the underlying data.
The inauguration brought together key figures in the NDC, including its vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; national leader, Seriake Dickson; members of the National Working Committee; and other party chieftains.
The event marked another step in the NDC’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, with Obi using the occasion to frame the contest as a battle over leadership, accountability and the future direction of Nigeria.
His message was unmistakable: Tinubu should not expect another term without answering for his administration’s record, while the NDC is promising a different approach centred on tackling corruption and improving the lives of Nigerians.
