BY AHMED AKANBI
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has turned President Bola Tinubu’s attack on him into a direct challenge on accountability, demanding to know what happened to the trillions saved from subsidy removal and the billions borrowed under his watch.
Obi issued the challenge in an open letter titled ‘Good day, Mr President: Nigerians deserve accountability,’ posted on his X handle on Saturday.
It was a response to Tinubu’s jibe at an APC rally in Akwa Ibom on Friday, where the President mocked Obi over gully erosion in Anambra State.
Obi did not return the insult, but welcomed Tinubu’s trip outside Lagos and Abuja, then asked him to do it 33 more times, and this time, come with answers.
“I sincerely hope this visit will inspire you to travel to the remaining 33 states of the federation, spend time with the people and, more importantly, explain what your administration has done with the N15.8 trillion saved from the removal of fuel subsidy, the over $100 billion you have borrowed, the increased revenues accruing to the government from taxing Nigerians, and the additional government revenues which your administration celebrated last year as having surpassed its target,” Obi wrote.
His argument is simple: with that much money, Nigerians should be feeling the difference.
So, he asked for numbers, not slogans. How many Nigerians have been lifted out of poverty? How many out-of-school children are back in class? How many functional primary healthcare centres have been built?
On power, Obi reminded Tinubu of his own words, that Nigerians should not vote for him if he failed to fix electricity.
“They also deserve an explanation of how much electricity supply has improved, especially given your promise that if you do not fix power, Nigerians should not vote for you,” he said.
On security, he asked what concrete measures have been taken, as terrorism and insecurity continue to ravage communities.
“Mr President, Nigerians deserve answers. They deserve to know what has been done with the resources entrusted to your government,” he added.
For Obi, the 2027 contest is not about erosion in Anambra. It is about accountability, transparency, and whether public money is actually changing public lives.