By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Presidency on Monday dismissed the call by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, for President Bola Tinubu to resign over the country's worsening security and economic situation, describing the demand as "childish," "hollow," and an "unwarranted distraction."

The position was contained in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, **Bayo Onanuga**, who accused Obi of presenting a distorted picture of Nigeria's realities since 2023 and ignoring what he described as measurable achievements recorded by the Tinubu administration.

"Peter Obi's latest comments calling for President Bola Tinubu's resignation, based on a comparison with the British Prime Minister's voluntary exit, are not only misplaced but also reflect a selective and distorted view of Nigeria's realities since 2023," Onanuga said.

He argued that Obi's comparison between Nigeria and the United Kingdom failed to recognise the differences in their systems of government.

"Obi forgets our country does not run a parliamentary system of government like the UK. We run a presidential system, with the president elected to a fixed four-year term," he stated.

According to the presidential spokesman, recent electoral victories by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State and senatorial elections in Nasarawa, Enugu, Ondo and Rivers states reflected continued public support for President Tinubu and his administration.

"The election results, some early referendum of sorts, show that President Tinubu and his party are popular with Nigerians," Onanuga said.

He added: "Obi should wait until the presidential election to know what the people think of Tinubu's government. Moving to use X to harangue the President out of office is off the mark and anti-democratic."

Responding to criticisms over insecurity, the Presidency maintained that President Tinubu inherited longstanding security challenges but had made substantial progress in tackling them.

"Yet under President Tinubu's leadership, Nigeria has made significant, measurable progress. Hundreds of people have been rescued from captivity, including high-profile operations in Borno and the Northwest," Onanuga said.

"Our gallant troops have neutralised terrorist kingpins... Over 15,000 terrorists have been taken off the streets and forests, and security operations have intensified nationwide."

The Presidency also took a swipe at Obi's tenure as governor of Anambra State.

"It is laughable that Obi, who, as governor, was a colossal failure, unable to secure lives and property in his small state of Anambra, as documented by his successor, Willie Obiano, is now the one calling for President Tinubu's resignation over security breaches in some parts of the country," the statement said.

On the economy, Onanuga accused Obi of ignoring indicators that suggested improvement under the current administration.

"Obi's depiction of decline and his verdict that 'We are in the worst possible condition' ignore verifiable data and global plaudits for President Tinubu's economic and social policies," he stated.

He said the Tinubu administration had recorded positive GDP growth since 2023, increased oil production, boosted federation revenues and strengthened investor confidence.

"Foreign reserves have hit new highs—over $50 billion. Oil production has risen from less than one million barrels per day to about 1.8 million, reversing years of decline," Onanuga said.

"Federation revenue is projected to hit over N30 trillion this year, far above the 2022 level of N7.7 trillion."

The presidential aide further highlighted gains in the capital market.

"The stock market has soared, with the All-Share Index rising from 50,000 to over 250,000, creating wealth for about six million Nigerian investors," he added.

Defending the administration's infrastructure drive, Onanuga said President Tinubu had embarked on projects long considered unattainable.

"President Tinubu has also set records in infrastructure delivery, building concrete roads that will last 100 years or more across all the country's geopolitical zones and actualising the Lagos-Calabar and Sokoto-Badagry superhighways," he said.

He also cited the introduction of compressed natural gas (CNG) initiatives and the student loan scheme as evidence of the administration's commitment to reforms.

"President Tinubu has proven not only to be a reform-minded and courageous leader but also an innovator," Onanuga stated.

Addressing claims that Tinubu had promised uninterrupted electricity supply, the Presidency accused Obi and his supporters of misrepresenting the President's campaign remarks.

"What he actually said... was: 'Whichever way, by all means necessary, you will have electricity, and you will not pay for estimated bills anymore,'" Onanuga said.

He noted that the administration had signed the Electricity Act to decentralise power generation and had intensified the rollout of prepaid meters and off-grid energy solutions.

While acknowledging the prevailing economic hardship, the Presidency attributed part of the challenge to global developments.

"No one denies that Nigeria has challenges, especially regarding the high cost of living. But any honest politician will agree this is a global problem resulting from the tensions in the Middle East," Onanuga said.

He argued that recent geopolitical developments involving the United States, Israel and Iran had disrupted global supply chains and affected commodity prices.

Insisting that Obi's criticism lacked substance, the presidential spokesman said: "Peter Obi's call for President Tinubu's resignation is childish and hollow. It is not a call to hold the leader accountable. It is merely a political grandstand and an unworthy distraction."

He added: "Leadership is about determination to confront the challenges facing our country and the economy. President Tinubu focuses on solutions, not rhetoric."

Onanuga concluded with a personal jab at the former Anambra governor.

"With his puerile tweet on X, we are now convinced that Peter Obi lives in his self-constructed echo chambers, where he reels off lie after lie to himself and believes his self-created reality about the situation in Nigeria," he said.

"We sympathise with him. That reality he fantasises about is mostly a figment of his imagination."

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