The Grassroots Mobilization Initiative (GMI) and the Democracy Watch Initiative (DWI) has faulted the recent call by the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resign.

The organisations said Obi’s comments amounted to political grandstanding and failed to recognise the ongoing reforms and institutional changes being implemented by the Tinubu administration.

In a joint statement by GMI Director of Media, Emeka Wogu, and DWI Director of Strategic Communications, Tunji Bamidele, the groups argued that Nigeria’s democracy provides constitutional mechanisms for leadership evaluation and change, not pressure through social media campaigns.

The coalitions described Obi’s comments as “social media grandstanding” by a political actor they claimed was disconnected from constitutional realities, democratic processes and the incremental gains being recorded across Nigerian communities.

The statement read: “We need to remind Mr. Obi that Nigeria operates under a constitutional presidential democracy, not a social media echo chamber or an internet debate.

“You do not bully a democratically elected sitting president out of office simply because you are dissatisfied with the pace of governance. The proper test of public support remains the ballot box and democratic institutions.”

The coalitions pointed to recent electoral outcomes in various parts of the country as evidence that Nigerians continue to engage with democratic processes and are making their choices through elections rather than online discourse.

According to the groups, local government and senatorial elections conducted in Ekiti State and key constituencies in Nasarawa, Enugu, Ondo and Rivers states reflected public confidence in the governing party and demonstrated that democratic participation remains active across the country.

The organisations urged political actors and citizens to assess the administration based on measurable developments rather than partisan narratives.

Highlighting what they described as key achievements of the Tinubu administration, the groups said: “President Tinubu did not inherit a stable nation; he inherited severe security deficits across multiple zones. Today, the Armed Forces are systematically taking the fight to criminal elements, clearing over 15,000 terrorists from critical forest reserves and neutralising high-profile bandit kingpins.

“Displaced families in Borno and the North-West are steadily returning to reconstructed communities. On fiscal decentralisation and local governance, for decades local government areas and state governments complained about inadequate funding for community infrastructure.

“Following bold reforms to halt wasteful subsidy regimes, state and local statutory revenues have more than doubled compared to 2022 levels. Wealth is finally being decentralised to the third tier of government, enabling local leadership to fund rural access roads, primary healthcare centres and community water projects.

“On academic stability and human capital investment, Nigerian public university students have remained in the classroom for three consecutive years without losing a single day to ASUU or NASU industrial actions.

“A four-year course is once again a four-year course, eliminating prolonged tuition and accommodation expenses for families. Furthermore, through institutionalised student loan frameworks, nearly two million students from low-income households now have access to interest-free loans to pursue higher education.

“On the transition to clean energy and infrastructure expansion, the strategic rollout of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) infrastructure is providing commercial drivers and commuters with a viable, lower-cost alternative to petrol.

“Concurrently, major infrastructure projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway are moving from planning stages to active construction, generating thousands of jobs.

“By signing the Electricity Act into law, the administration decentralised power generation and distribution, empowering states to establish independent electricity markets and grids.

“For everyday consumers and small businesses, the aggressive deployment of prepaid meters is helping to eliminate the long-standing challenge of estimated billing.”

The groups added that the reforms would help improve service delivery to households and businesses while promoting economic growth.

While acknowledging the economic difficulties currently faced by many Nigerians, the organisations maintained that some of the challenges were linked to global economic conditions beyond the control of any single government.

The statement added: “President Tinubu did not trigger global inflation, but his administration is actively constructing institutional safeguards to shield Nigerian households from its worst effects.

“The naira is gradually finding its macroeconomic equilibrium, foreign reserves remain robust at over $50 billion, and domestic oil production has recovered to 1.8 million barrels per day. The macroeconomic foundation is solidifying.

“The 2027 general elections remain the next constitutional arena for leadership evaluation. If Mr. Obi wishes to test the popularity of the Tinubu administration’s structural reforms among ordinary Nigerians, he must exercise patience until the ballot boxes open.

“Until then, the opposition must allow governance to proceed, allow our military forces to secure the land, and allow national institutions to function without manufactured crises.”