Insecurity: “Calling Jonathan to Resign Was Legitimate, Calling Tinubu to Resign Isn’t” — Daniel Bwala

The Presidency has defended its stance on past and present calls for presidential resignation over insecurity, arguing that the circumstances surrounding the two moments are not comparable.

Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communication, addressed the issue during an appearance on *The Morning Brief* on Channels Television. He reacted to renewed attention on an old comment in which Bola Tinubu, then an opposition leader, urged Goodluck Jonathan to step down in 2014 after the kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls.

At the time, Tinubu questioned why any part of the country should be “under occupation,” insisting Jonathan should resign if he could not curb the escalating security crisis.

Bwala maintained that such a call was valid in 2014 but does not apply to the current administration. He argued that while every nation faces security challenges, the critical point is whether a government has a plan and is actively confronting the issues. According to him, Jonathan’s administration lacked clarity and was in denial about the Chibok abductions, leaving the public without confidence in its response.

He added that citizens in a democracy are free to express their frustrations, including calling for a president’s resignation, but insisted such demands must be backed by constitutional processes rather than rhetoric. Bwala said it would be “laziness” for the government to focus on random calls instead of continuing its efforts to address security concerns.

He also noted that crime statistics in other countries, including the United States, show that insecurity is a global problem, not one unique to Nigeria.