2027: ‘Tinubu not tired’ – Yilwatda fires back at Obi’s resignation call

By Enitan Abdultawab

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has dismissed Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s suggestion that President Bola Tinubu is “tired” and should step aside ahead of the 2027 elections.

The national chairman, who appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, questioned the basis for describing the president as exhausted, insisting that Tinubu continues to work tirelessly while delivering key projects across the country.

“Let me put it this way, epecially to Obi, who claimed that Tinubu is tired—is he (Tinubu) going for boxing or 400 metres?” Yilwatda said. “Are you telling me that the President who stays and works from morning till night is tired? These are the issues we are talking about.”

He argued that millions of Nigerians benefiting from the administration’s policies would not support calls for Tinubu to retire from office.

“Are you telling me that over a million students and mothers who depend heavily on and celebrate NELFUND would be praying that the President be retired?” he asked.

Yilwatda also pointed to ongoing infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the development of new seaports in Calabar, Akwa Ibom, Port Harcourt, Ondo and Lagos, as evidence of the administration’s commitment to national development.

“Are you telling me that over a million students and mothers who depend heavily on and celebrate NELFUND would have prayers that the President be retired?” he asked.

Yilwatda also cited several infrastructure projects as evidence that the administration remains focused on delivering its agenda, pointing to the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as well as new seaport developments across the country.

“Are you telling me that people who have the coastal road from Lagos to Calabar, to Akwa Ibom and Port Harcourt, or the five seaports in Calabar, Akwa Ibom, Port Harcourt, Ondo and Lagos, are those who wish that the President be retired?” he said.

The APC chairman further referenced the ongoing modernization of Nigeria’s aviation sector, saying the extensive airport upgrade projects supervised by the Minister of Aviation reflect a government actively investing in critical infrastructure.

“I am sure you watched the renewal of airports being upgraded by the Minister of Aviation. This and many others, even in the North,” he added.

According to Yilwatda, the administration’s investments in education, transportation, maritime infrastructure and aviation demonstrate that President Tinubu remains fully engaged in governing the country, contrary to claims that he is too tired to continue in office.

Yilwatda’s comments follow remarks of former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi who, in a sit-down interview with Channels TV interview, stated that President Bola Tinubu is “tired” and lacks the capacity to lead Nigeria, calling for him to step aside and retire ahead of the 2027 general election.

Vanguard News