The Presidency has strongly rejected calls by former presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resign from office, describing the demand as “childish,” politically motivated and contrary to the principles of Nigeria’s democratic system.
The latest exchange followed comments made by Obi on social media platform X, where he urged President Tinubu to emulate British Prime Minister Keir Starmer by stepping down over what he alleged was the administration’s inability to fulfil key campaign promises and address the country’s economic and security challenges.
Responding in a statement, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, faulted Obi’s comparison between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, arguing that both countries operate entirely different systems of government. According to him, while Britain runs a parliamentary system in which leaders can voluntarily resign or be replaced by their parties, Nigeria practices a presidential system where the president is elected for a constitutionally guaranteed four-year term.
Onanuga maintained that President Tinubu’s tenure is based on a mandate freely given by Nigerians through the ballot box and that any judgment on his administration should come through democratic processes rather than pressure mounted on social media platforms.
“Peter Obi’s latest comments calling for President Bola Tinubu’s resignation are misplaced and reflect a selective interpretation of Nigeria’s realities. Nigeria does not operate the British parliamentary system but a presidential system with fixed terms,” the presidential aide stated.
The Presidency further argued that recent electoral victories recorded by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State and senatorial elections in Nasarawa, Enugu, Ondo and Rivers states demonstrated that the party still enjoys widespread support among Nigerians. According to the statement, the results should serve as an
