The Presidency and a member of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, have dismissed calls for President Bola Tinubu to resign over Nigeria’s economic and security challenges.
The calls were made separately by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, and the House Minority Leader, Fred Agbedi, who argued that the country’s worsening economic conditions and persistent insecurity warranted stronger accountability from the President.
Obi recently urged President Tinubu to emulate the example of former UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer by stepping down over what he described as unmet campaign promises and deteriorating living conditions for Nigerians.
According to Obi, Tinubu had pledged during the 2023 election campaign to improve electricity supply, tackle corruption, enhance security, and improve citizens’ welfare. He argued that conditions in these critical areas have worsened since the President assumed office.
“Electricity supply remains unreliable, insecurity has intensified in many areas, including kidnappings, and economic hardship has deepened rather than eased,” Obi said, adding that other sectors such as infrastructure, transportation and anti-corruption efforts have also experienced setbacks.
In response, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described Obi’s comparison between Nigeria and the United Kingdom as misplaced, noting that the two countries operate different political systems.
According to Onanuga, while the UK functions under a parliamentary system, Nigeria’s Constitution guarantees a fixed four-year tenure for a democratically elected president.
The Presidency described Obi’s resignation demand as an attempt to distract from the administration’s achievements in governance, security and economic reforms.
Onanuga also pointed to recent electoral victories recorded by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in several states as evidence of continued public support for President Tinubu and the ruling party.
“Peter Obi should wait until the 2027 presidential election to test the popularity of President Tinubu rather than attempting to use social media to pressure an elected President out of office,” he said.
Similarly, the President’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, rejected Obi’s position, arguing that it failed to recognise the constitutional differences between Nigeria’s presidential system and the parliamentary model practiced in the United Kingdom.
Olusegun maintained that President Tinubu inherited an economy burdened by fuel subsidies, multiple exchange rates, declining oil production and fiscal challenges, stressing that reforms aimed at correcting long-standing structural issues would inevitably create short-term difficulties.
While acknowledging the hardship currently faced by many Nigerians, he said it was inaccurate to claim that every sector had deteriorated under the administration.
According to him, the government has recorded progress in financial market stability, state revenues, foreign reserves, oil production, infrastructure development, healthcare investment and investor confidence.
He also cited endorsements of the administration’s economic reforms by the Governor of Anambra State, Charles Soludo, who has publicly described the policies as necessary for restoring fiscal stability and preventing economic collapse.
Questioning Obi’s assessment of the economy, Olusegun pointed to improvements in the Nigerian Exchange Group, increased government revenues, rising oil production, growing foreign reserves and the absence of prolonged university strikes and fuel scarcity.
Meanwhile, a similar disagreement emerged within the House of Representatives following calls by Minority Leader Fred Agbedi for the President to either address the nation’s worsening security and economic situation or resign.
However, Philip Agbese, who represents Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State and serves as Deputy House Spokesperson, rejected the call, describing it as politically motivated.
Agbese argued that the demand for Tinubu’s resignation was driven more by political considerations ahead of the 2027 general elections than by genuine concern for national development.
“The call for the resignation of President Tinubu is not borne out of patriotism. It appears to be part of a broader conspiracy by some political actors who are desperate to remove the President from office through every available means,” he said.
He further maintained that insecurity remains a national challenge requiring collective responsibility and stronger support for security agencies rather than political rhetoric.
“The issue of insecurity is a national challenge that requires the collective support of all Nigerians. What we need at this critical time is partnership with our armed forces and security agencies, not rhetoric designed to score political points,” Agbese added.
