National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have traded words over President Bola Tinubu’s fitness to seek re-election in 2027, with both men taking sharply opposing positions on the President’s capacity to continue in office.
The exchange played out during separate appearances on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where Obi first suggested that Tinubu should not consider another term, while Yilwatda fired back in defence of the President’s health and performance.
Obi had argued that the President no longer possesses the energy required for the demands of the office, insisting that Nigeria needs more vibrant leadership to confront its worsening insecurity, economic hardship, hunger and poverty.
“The Bola Tinubu that was governor is not the one that is president today. He’s tired. He should be allowed to retire in peace and then go home,” Obi said, adding that the 2027 election should focus on urgent national challenges rather than political continuity.
But Yilwatda dismissed the remarks as unfair and reductionist, insisting that leadership should not be judged by physical appearance or age-related assumptions.
“Is he going for boxing or the 100 metres?” the APC chairman asked, pushing back against Obi’s characterisation of the President.
Defending Tinubu’s work ethic, Yilwatda said the President remains fully engaged in governance and maintains a demanding daily schedule. He cited a recent visit to the Presidential Villa as evidence of Tinubu’s active involvement in state affairs.
“President Tinubu is in the office every day. I was with him last Thursday. He was there in the morning and left late at night. That is someone who works from morning till night. People talk about the rigours of office, but the President is standing and carrying out his responsibilities,” he said.
Yilwatda also highlighted key policy initiatives of the administration, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which he described as a major intervention benefiting students across the country.
“You mean the millions of students receiving loans and celebrating them every day on social media, together with their parents who are hoping their children will access higher education through NELFUND, want the President to retire?” he asked.
He further pointed to ongoing infrastructure projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, port modernisation efforts, and the expansion of gas pipeline networks as evidence that the administration remains focused on its development agenda.
While acknowledging Nigeria’s economic and security challenges, the APC chairman maintained that many of the problems predated the current administration, adding that the government is making steady progress in addressing them while pushing forward its policy priorities.
