National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said President Bola Tinubu has done his best in addressing Nigeria’s security challenges but argued that his best is no longer sufficient, urging the President to “go home and rest.”
Obi made the remarks during an interview with media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo, uploaded on YouTube on Thursday, while responding to a question on why Nigerians should support his presidential ambition instead of another opposition candidate.
Asked why he should be elected president, Obi urged Nigerians to assess his record in public office alongside his current vision for the country.
“It is for you to look at my past and look at what I am saying now,” he said.
Reacting to recent comments by the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, that President Tinubu had done his best to address insecurity, Obi said the cleric’s assessment was accurate.
“Somebody asked me yesterday that Pastor Adeboye said Tinubu has tried his best and he is not happy. I said Pastor Adeboye remains a highly revered and respected religious father, and I believe in his sincerity and goodness.
“What he said was correct. He said the President has tried his best. He is trying his best. That is the correct answer.
“The question is: Is his best good enough? Considering where we are today, that brings us to the issue of capacity,” Obi said.
The former Anambra State governor argued that effective leadership requires competence, capacity, compassion, commitment and character, adding that Nigeria’s persistent security challenges underscored the need for leadership with greater capability.
“When I talk about leadership, I talk about competence, capacity, compassion, commitment and character. These are the issues. President Tinubu is tired. He needs to go home and rest,” he said.
Adeboye had earlier defended Tinubu against criticism over the country’s worsening security situation during the US-Nigeria Faith Heroes Award Gala organised by the Save Nigeria Group in Washington, D.C., on June 23.
The cleric said it was unfair to accuse the President of inaction, noting that a Commander-in-Chief was responsible for giving directives to the military rather than personally engaging in combat.
“I don’t support those who are accusing the President of not doing enough. When the Commander-in-Chief has given instructions to his subordinates, he has done his bit. You don’t expect him to wear khaki and go to the battlefield,” Adeboye had said.
Despite his defence of the President, Adeboye expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation, noting that terrorism and kidnapping had spread from northern Nigeria to parts of the South.
He disclosed that he advised Tinubu to give military commanders a 90-day ultimatum to end insecurity or resign, while also calling on the government to identify and prosecute those sponsoring terrorism.
