Amid the current insecurity challenges in Nigeria, Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has voiced his opinion that the presidential tenures of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua cannot be equated to those of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and President Bola Tinubu.
According to Obi, state governors held the responsibility for security in their respective states during Obasanjo’s administration, which is in contrast to the present situation. He called for state governors to be given more authority to effectively address the security challenges within their domains.
Speaking at the Annual Lecture and International Leadership Symposium of the Centre for Values in Leadership, CVL, in Lagos, Obi emphasized the need for governors to be empowered to handle security matters, citing the past practice where former presidents granted governors certain security-related powers.
He stated, “There is always a difference between one president and another. We cannot compare President Olusegun Obasanjo’s and Umaru Yar’Adua’s presidencies to what we have now. Under Obasanjo, the governors were in charge of security. I requested the removal of every Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and it was granted. During late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s tenure, I made security decisions with the authority of the President, and there was a monthly conversation between the President and the Governors. The governors have to be in charge of the state and be responsible. So, we need a President who is determined to delegate authority to the governors.”
