ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Fred Agbedi, has issued a blunt six-month ultimatum to President Bola Tinubu, demanding his resignation if his administration fails to stem the tide of worsening insecurity gripping the nation.
Loading ...Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the Bayelsa lawmaker declared that opposition parties and ordinary citizens will actively explore all constitutional avenues to compel the President to step down if the security situation does not improve radically within half a year.
“Perform or Quit”
Agbedi’s remarks follow a wave of violent attacks, kidnappings, and mass abductions across multiple states. He emphasized that holding the executive accountable is a fundamental pillar of democratic practice.
“If you are not able to give leadership to your nation, if your government fails, both those in the minority and those who are free citizens of the nation have the right to say you either perform or quit,” Agbedi stated.
The Minority Leader defended the caucus’s aggressive stance by pointing out historical precedents, recalling how Tinubu himself—while in the opposition—publicly called for the resignation of former President Goodluck Jonathan during past security crises.
Critique of Executive Empathy
A central point of Agbedi’s criticism was the President’s perceived detachment from frontline communities hit by violence. He pointed out that during official visits to trouble spots in Plateau and Benue states, the President chose to stay at the Jos airport to meet with stakeholders rather than visiting the actual scenes of the attacks.
“The President went to Jos to sympathise with the people of Plateau State who suffered an insecurity attack,” Agbedi noted. “He said the Jos airport had no lights, so in the next 10 minutes, he was going to leave. He didn’t even go to see the people; he met the people at the Jos airport [1].”
To contrast this approach, Agbedi invoked international leadership standards, stating that an American President would willingly wait at an airport tarmac just to personally receive the body of a single fallen soldier.
Broader Demands from the Opposition
The lawmaker’s television appearance aligns with a broader push by the House Minority Caucus, which has officially demanded that the Presidency suspend all early political maneuvering for the 2027 general elections to focus strictly on public safety.
The opposition lawmakers are calling for an immediate six-month national security and economic recovery plan, citing recent high-profile incidents like the tragic death of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar in captivity and the ongoing abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State as evidence of a collapsed security architecture.
The Presidency has yet to issue a formal response to the Minority Leader’s ultimatum.
