“Resign like British PM”: Obi Media Office insists Tinubu must accept responsibility as poverty rises to 140m

The Peter Obi Media Office has doubled down on its call for President Bola Tinubu to resign, insisting the demand was about leadership accountability, not politics, as Nigerians living below the poverty line have risen from 87 million to 140 million under his administration.
In a statement signed by POMR Spokesperson, Idris Zekeri Jnr, Monday, the Obi camp accused the presidency of “shadow chasing” and insults instead of addressing the substance of Obi’s argument.
They said Obi’s call was modelled after the British Prime Minister who resigned after admitting his government failed to improve citizens’ living conditions.
According to POMR, the presidency’s lengthy response ignored governance failures and instead discussed election types and weekend polls.
It argued that resignation is not alien to presidential systems, citing Richard Nixon in the US, Fernando Collor de Mello in Brazil, and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski in Peru as examples of presidents who stepped down.
The POMR reminded Tinubu that he once mobilised Nigerians to demand the resignation of President Goodluck Jonathan during fuel subsidy protests and the Chibok abductions under the same presidential system.
“Leadership standards should not change depending on who occupies the office,” it firther said, painting  a grim picture of the last three years: businesses shutting down, manufacturers facing unbearable costs, warehouses full of unsold goods due to weak demand, and widespread unemployment.
It also, faulted the government for celebrating GDP growth, revenue and stock market gains while poverty, insecurity and cost of living worsened.
On security, the group said kidnapping, banditry and attacks have spread to virtually every region, leaving farmers unable to farm and businesses operating in fear.
“Leadership requires honesty about challenges, not selective celebration of isolated victories,” the statement read.
The Obi office also knocked the presidency for citing weekend elections as endorsement of performance, describing the polls as “deeply flawed” and warning that such electoral shortcomings put Nigeria’s democracy “in grave danger.”
It criticised budget priorities, noting ₦298 billion for primary healthcare against ₦873 billion for elections.
POMR insisted Obi’s intervention was “neither personal nor partisan” but a call for a leadership culture where accountability is strength, not weakness.
“Nigeria deserves leadership that listens more than it lectures, serves more than it celebrates itself, and accepts responsibility rather than constantly searching for excuses,” the statement concluded. A New Nigeria is Possible.”