Obi’s call for Tinubu’s resignation childish—CSOs

The Grassroots Mobilisation Initiative and the Democracy Watch Initiative have criticised the call by the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for President Bola Tinubu to resign, describing the demand as unconstitutional, childish and inconsistent with democratic principles.

The groups, in a joint statement signed by the Director of Media of GMI, Emeka Wogu, and the Director of Strategic Communications of DWI, Tunji Bamidele, said Nigeria’s democratic system provides constitutional avenues for leadership assessment and change, rather than pressure mounted through social media campaigns.

They accused Obi of engaging in political grandstanding and failing to acknowledge what they described as ongoing reforms and institutional changes being implemented by the Tinubu administration.

According to the organisations, calls for the resignation of a democratically elected president outside constitutional processes undermine the spirit of democracy and disregard the will of voters expressed through the ballot box.

The statement read, “We need to remind Mr Obi that Nigeria operates under a constitutional presidential democracy, not a social media echo chamber or an internet debate.

“You do not bully a democratically elected sitting president out of office simply because you are dissatisfied with the pace of governance. The proper test of public support remains the ballot box and democratic institutions.”

The groups argued that recent elections conducted in parts of the country demonstrated that Nigerians continued to participate actively in democratic processes and were making political choices through established institutions.

They cited electoral exercises in Ekiti State and constituencies in Nasarawa, Enugu, Ondo and Rivers states as evidence that democratic participation remained vibrant across the country.

The organisations also urged Nigerians to evaluate the current administration based on measurable outcomes rather than partisan narratives.

Highlighting areas they described as achievements of the Tinubu administration, the groups pointed to ongoing security operations against terrorists and bandits, increased statutory allocations to states and local governments, and efforts aimed at improving governance at the grassroots level.

They further cited the absence of prolonged industrial actions by university unions in recent years, the introduction of student loan schemes, and ongoing infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry superhighway.

The statement also referenced reforms in the power sector, particularly the implementation of the Electricity Act and the expansion of prepaid meter deployment aimed at reducing estimated billing for consumers.

While acknowledging prevailing economic challenges, the groups maintained that some of the pressures facing Nigerians were linked to global economic conditions.

They argued that the Federal Government was taking steps to strengthen the economy through reforms targeted at stabilising the naira, improving foreign reserves and increasing crude oil production.

The organisations stressed that the 2027 general election remained the appropriate constitutional platform for Nigerians to assess the performance of the Tinubu administration and make electoral decisions.

“If Mr Obi wishes to test the popularity of the Tinubu administration’s structural reforms among the real people on the street, he must exercise patience until the ballot boxes open.

“Until then, the opposition must allow governance to proceed, allow our military forces to secure the land, and allow national institutions to function without manufactured crises,” the statement added.