Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has called on President Bola Tinubu to leave office in 2027, accusing his administration of failing to address Nigeria’s economic hardship, insecurity, corruption and rising poverty.

Obi made the remarks on Monday in Abuja at the inauguration of the NDC National Campaign Council, where he declared that Nigerians were seeking a new direction for the country.

The former Anambra State governor accused the Tinubu administration of lacking the competence, capacity, compassion and commitment needed to tackle the nation’s challenges.

According to him, the country is experiencing a crisis that requires a change in leadership.

“Tinubu has led this country into a crisis. Today, everything is collapsing. From our engagements across Nigeria, Nigerians are looking for new leadership, and we assure you that we will create that leadership,” Obi said.

He questioned the president’s ability to provide the level of leadership required to govern the country, insisting that Nigeria needed a leader who would be physically present and energetic enough to respond to its pressing needs.

“President Tinubu does not have the energy and resolve required to lead Nigeria today, and he must go home.

“We need him to go home. Nigeria cannot be governed with the energy he has today. Nigeria needs a president who will be available and present,” he stated.

Obi also criticised the administration’s handling of poverty, unemployment, corruption and insecurity, arguing that Nigeria had performed poorly across several development indicators.

He further faulted Tinubu for launching his re-election campaign under the All Progressives Congress (APC) without adequately explaining how funds borrowed by his administration had been spent or detailing its achievements under the 2023, 2024 and 2025 budgets.

“In the past three years, President Tinubu has foisted a reign of corruption on Nigeria. He has made history as the president presiding over the highest number of poor people, according to recent reports,” Obi alleged.

He said Nigerians deserved clear explanations of the administration’s spending and performance rather than what he described as attempts to blame the opposition for the country’s economic difficulties.

“Rather than explain what he has achieved with the 2023, 2024 and 2025 budgets, he chose to blame the opposition for creating poverty,” Obi said.

The NDC presidential candidate promised that his party would pursue a different approach to governance, focusing on practical solutions to national problems rather than shifting responsibility.

He identified corruption as the first major challenge an NDC-led administration would tackle, promising a more aggressive approach to addressing the problem.

“We need a revolution that will turn this country around, and we are committed to that. The APC-led government under President Tinubu has failed Nigeria.

“We will start by fighting the most important problem crippling Nigeria today: corruption. We will ensure that we tackle corruption head-on in a manner nobody has tackled it before,” he said.

Obi also cited Nigeria’s positions on global terrorism and hunger indices, as well as poverty statistics, to support his argument that the country’s situation had deteriorated under Tinubu.

He claimed that Nigeria’s position on terrorism had worsened since the president assumed office, while its ranking on hunger had declined from 109th to 117th. He also argued that the country’s position on poverty had deteriorated.

“There is no single indicator under Tinubu that has improved,” Obi said, attributing the challenges to what he described as widespread corruption.

The NDC campaign council inauguration was attended by the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; its national leader, Seriake Dickson; members of the National Working Committee; and other party chieftains.

Obi’s remarks signal the NDC’s intention to make the Tinubu administration’s economic record, security challenges and anti-corruption performance major issues in the build-up to the 2027 general election.