The debate over who is better positioned to govern Nigeria deepened on Monday after All Progressives Congress stalwart, Biodun Ajiboye, cast doubt on former Anambra governor Peter Obi’s ability to outperform President Bola Tinubu.
Appearing on Politics Today, a flagship political programme of Channels Television, Ajiboye argued that Obi’s track record in Anambra did not reflect the “miracle” often attributed to him by supporters. He insisted that Obi, who served as the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in 2023, lacks the credentials and experience required to handle the country’s challenges.
Ajiboye went further to defend Tinubu’s economic agenda, saying the difficult reforms introduced since 2023, such as subsidy removal and exchange rate unification, were necessary steps to rescue the nation from collapse. He described Tinubu as a leader willing to take bold but unpopular decisions to reset Nigeria’s economy.
“Even if you produce a million Obis, none can surpass Tinubu. What miracle did he perform in Anambra?” Ajiboye stated, as reported by Channels Television on August 18, 2025.
In defending Tinubu’s leadership style, Ajiboye highlighted the necessity of painful but corrective measures. According to him, the administration inherited a failing economy that required urgent intervention.
“We were subsidising electricity and fuel. Any nation doing all these must have a highly productive economy, but we don’t. At the point Bola Tinubu came, he said, ‘No, I will not allow this country to go down like this. Let us stop and re-evaluate,” Ajiboye said.
He explained that Nigerians must endure short-term hardship for long-term stability, insisting that the reforms were designed to prevent a total economic crash.
“The only question we should ask ourselves now is: do we want to go through the tough times now and enjoy later, or do we want to continue and crash completely? The nation was going to crash if such steps were not taken,” he added.
The APC chieftain also faulted opposition figures, including Obi and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, whom he accused of avoiding Nigeria’s hard economic realities. According to him, Tinubu’s governance model, built on his Lagos legacy, remains a better foundation for national revival
