Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has challenged President Bola Tinubu’s capacity to lead Nigeria.
He demanded his exit in 2027 amid growing political controversy over the President’s health.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, said Nigeria needed a president who could be physically present and energetically confront the country’s economic and security challenges.
He insisted that Tinubu’s administration had failed to improve the lives of citizens.
“Above all, President Tinubu does not have the energy and resolve required to lead Nigeria today, and he must go home.”
“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”, he said.
He spoke in Abuja during the inauguration of the NDC National Campaign Council.
At the event, he accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government of worsening poverty, unemployment, corruption and insecurity.
Obi’s remarks come amid renewed scrutiny of Tinubu’s health and physical capacity.
This followed his announcement that he would not attend every APC campaign rally ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Also Read:
At the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council on October 14, Tinubu said he had accepted advice to prevent campaign activities from distracting him from governance.
He added that the country required his attention.
“You will excuse me from going everywhere with you. We have bills to pay. The American creditors cannot wait,” the President said.
He maintained that he would still address Nigerians directly during the campaign.
The APC’s proposed campaign timetable subsequently indicated that Tinubu would attend rallies in 12 states, leaving party officials to coordinate campaigns in other states.
The arrangement triggered criticism from opposition figures and commentators who questioned whether the President should personally engage voters across the country while seeking another term.
The ruling party has defended the decision as a strategy to balance governance with electioneering.
Obafemi George, a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council’s media and strategic communications committee, said there was no legal requirement for a presidential candidate to campaign physically in all 36 states.
The health debate had also intensified after Tinubu returned to Nigeria on September 29 from an extended stay in Europe, following weeks of speculation during his absence.
The President dismissed the concerns, telling journalists: “Ready to kick, ready to walk. There’s nothing wrong.”
Obi, however, used the occasion to question the substance of Tinubu’s re-election campaign, arguing that the President should account for his administration’s expenditure and achievements before asking Nigerians for another mandate.
“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.
“Rather than explain what he has achieved with the 2023, 2024 and 2025 budgets, he chose to blame the opposition for creating poverty”, he said.
Tinubu launched his re-election campaign in Kaduna on October 24, defending his administration’s economic reforms and blaming opposition politicians for the country’s poverty and hunger.
His government’s removal of the petrol subsidy and foreign-exchange reforms have improved some public-finance indicators.
However, it has also contributed to severe cost-of-living pressures that remain a major political issue ahead of the election.
Obi said his proposed administration would reject a culture of blame and instead prioritise practical solutions to the country’s problems.
“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,” he said.
He identified corruption as a central obstacle to national development, pledging a more aggressive campaign against it if elected.
“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,” Obi said.
The NDC candidate also cited Nigeria’s positions on international terrorism and hunger indices, alongside poverty figures.
“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,”.
“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 said.
The NDC campaign council inauguration was attended by Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the party’s vice-presidential candidate; Seriake Dickson, its national leader; members of the National Working Committee and other party leaders.
[wpadcenter_ad id='745970' align='none']