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President Bola Tinubu has criticised former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, saying he lacked the leadership qualities needed to govern Nigeria.
Tinubu made the remarks at a reception in his honour in Akwa Ibom State, where he was campaigning ahead of the 2027 general election.
Taking aim at Obi’s record in Anambra, Tinubu questioned his ability to tackle national challenges and compared his own infrastructure projects in Lagos with the former governor’s handling of erosion in his state.
“You want to compare my brain with that of Peter Obi? He ran away from erosion in Anambra and now wants to be president, president of where?” Tinubu said.
He claimed Obi had failed to confront erosion, while his own administration had “tamed” the Atlantic Ocean in Lagos.
“He is in one party they call NDC who is running for president. He ran away from erosion in Anambra State. He couldn’t confront erosion. I, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, confronted the Atlantic Ocean. I tamed it for you,” he said.
Tinubu also criticised Obi’s political movements, referring to his time in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his subsequent departure for another party.
“If a man that was, at one time, a baby of PDP became a father of PDP, and it is so. And because of a little inconvenience, he ran away from that party and formed a dangerous camp in another party. Is that a leadership trait? Is that a leadership character? And he wants you to vote for him? It’s not for a banana. No,” Tinubu said.
He contrasted Obi with Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno, whom he praised for addressing erosion in the state and working for its residents.
“They lack the leadership, character and traits,” the President added.
Tinubu also defended his administration’s economic policies, including the removal of the fuel subsidy, saying the decision was necessary to address the country’s financial difficulties.
“When I took over, 27 governors of 36 of this country were unable to pay salary obligations, not to talk of pension and gratuity. By now, if we didn’t take a decision the day I took over, we would use wheelbarrow to move our naira because it would have become valueless,” he said.
He said the government’s policies were intended to help lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty.
“When we use it, we use it to break the circle of poverty and ignorance. We will break that circle. Nigeria will never go back to subsidy,” Tinubu said.
Governor Eno, who hosted the reception, pledged that Akwa Ibom would deliver two million votes for Tinubu. He said the state expected the Federal Government to deliver the long-awaited Ibom Deep Seaport project.
