Senator Adams Oshiomhole has responded sharply to Peter Obi’s call for President Bola Tinubu to step aside, accusing the Labour Party leader of approaching governance with a trader’s mindset.
Speaking in an excerpt from a conversation with the former Edo State governor and current senator for Edo North, Oshiomhole said Obi’s remarks reflect impatience rather than a grasp of policy depth.
“Peter Obi is a trader. Traders think short term,” Oshiomhole stated, as he pushed back against Obi’s assertion that Tinubu is “tired” and should retire.
The senator argued that Nigeria is in the middle of difficult but necessary structural changes that cannot be judged on quick wins. According to him, Tinubu’s decisions — particularly on fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification — were designed for long-term stability, not immediate political applause.
Oshiomhole said the country needs leadership willing to stay the course, even when reforms cause short-term pain. He contrasted that with what he described as Obi’s business-background approach, which he claims prioritizes immediate returns over sustainable transformation.
He also challenged Obi and other 2027 hopefuls to be clear with Nigerians: would they reverse the subsidy if elected? Would they maintain a single exchange rate? For Oshiomhole, those answers matter more than calls for resignation.
“Leadership is not about quitting when it gets tough,” he said. “It’s about seeing reforms through so that the next generation inherits a functional economy.”
Obi had earlier said Tinubu had “tried his best” but that the results were no longer enough for Nigerians facing insecurity, power shortages, and rising hardship. He suggested that a culture of accountability should include leaders stepping down when they can no longer deliver.
Oshiomhole dismissed that position as simplistic, insisting that the Tinubu administration’s policies need time to yield results and that abandoning them midstream would set the country back.
The exchange highlights an early clash of narratives ahead of 2027: Obi framing the government as exhausted and out of ideas, and Oshiomhole framing the opposition as focused on slogans rather than solutions.
