By Jude Opara
The last may not have been heard of the war of words between the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi and the presidency following the recent call on President Bola Tinubu to resign over the rising spate of insecurity and the dwindling economic fortunes of Nigerians.
It could be recalled that shortly after Obi made the call on his verified X handle, spokespersons of the president, Bayou Onanuga and Sunday Dare tool turns to tackle Obi over this call. Bayou Onanuga in a statement described Obi’s call as childish and puriel.
But in a counter response, the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR) in statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday charged the presidency to react to the position of their principal with substance and not to resort to grandstanding and insults.
Idris Zekeri Jnr, POMR Spokesman in the statement explained that Obi made the resignation call because President Tinubu has failed to improve the living conditions of Nigerians.
Zekeri Jnr noted that under the Tinubu administration, Nigerians living below the poverty line rose from 87 million to 140 million.
“Obi’s intervention was neither personal nor partisan. It was a reflection on leadership and accountability. Unfortunately, rather than engage with the substance of the argument, the presidency chose to respond with insults, distortions, and self-congratulatory rhetoric”.
The POMR further took a swipe at the presidency for claiming that the British Prime Minister gave notice of his resignation because they practice the parliamentary system, while Nigeria practices the presidential system, where presidents hardly resign.
The group equally reminded the presidency that President Tinubu has in the past asked former President Goodluck Jonathan to resign over rising insecurity and poor economy.
“Rather than address the issue of leadership and accountability, the presidency embarked on shadow chasing, talking about the weekend’s charade election and the types of government, whether presidential or parliamentary. Meanwhile, they forgot that Nigeria was not running a parliamentary system when the President mobilised Nigerians to demand the resignation of the then-President Goodluck Jonathan.
“We would like to state clearly that our principal’s comments were not about whether Nigeria operates a presidential or parliamentary system. They were about a fundamental principle of leadership: accepting responsibility for outcomes.
“The British Prime Minister did not resign because of the nature of the British political system. He resigned because he understood that leadership comes with responsibility and accountability.
“It is also important to correct the misleading suggestion that resignation is alien to presidential systems or is somehow anti-constitutional. Comparative democratic practice shows otherwise. In several presidential systems, leaders have resigned under different circumstances. In the United States, Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 over the Watergate scandal.
“In Brazil, Fernando Collor de Mello resigned on account of corruption allegations. In Peru, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned, while in Argentina, Fernando de la Rúa stepped down during a severe economic and social crisis. These examples demonstrate that resignation is not incompatible with presidential systems but remains a recognised, though rare, feature of accountability in presidential democracies.
“Ironically, when President Tinubu himself made similar calls on President Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria was operating the same presidential system it operates today.
“At that time, neither he nor his supporters argued that Nigeria’s constitutional structure prevented such demands. Leadership standards should not change depending on who occupies the office”.
The statement added that no amount of political rhetoric and grandstanding can conceal the fact that millions of Nigerians are enduring unprecedented economic hardship.
“Businesses are shutting down. Manufacturers face unbearable production costs, while warehouses are filled with unsold goods because of weak consumer demand. Unemployment and underemployment remain widespread. These are not opposition narratives; they are the daily realities confronting ordinary Nigerians and evidence of failed governance.
“A government must ultimately be judged not by the figures it publishes but by the improvements in the lives of its citizens”.
Zekeri equally responded to the position of the presidency on Obi’s stewardship when he served as the governor of Anambra state.
“When Obi assumed office in Anambra state, he promised to restore civility to governance, reduce the cost of government, improve education, healthcare, and infrastructure, provide access to remote areas of the state, strengthen security, and leave savings for the future of the people. He achieved over 80% of those promises. Indeed, Anambra ranked first in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and recorded significant improvements in healthcare and education. These facts remain verifiable”.
The statement added that it’s disappointing to attempt to portray concern for Nigeria as political grandstanding.
