Peter Obi: Tinubu should confront questions about past

Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over what he described as efforts to shield records relating to the President’s past from public scrutiny.

Obi made the remarks in a post on his X platform on Monday, August 31, 2026, while reflecting on what he described as the need for integrity, transparency and accountability in public leadership.

The former Labour Party presidential candidate said he was saddened by the direction of the country, arguing that a sitting President should have the courage to confront questions surrounding his past, particularly matters of legitimate public interest.

He said: “It is profoundly embarrassing that we have reached a point where a sitting President is asking a foreign court to withhold records concerning his past, particularly records relating to matters of legitimate public interest.”

Obi said leadership required the courage and humility to acknowledge mistakes, provide explanations where questions arose and, where necessary, apologise and seek forgiveness.

According to him, a leader’s authority is strengthened rather than diminished when he accepts responsibility instead of shielding controversial aspects of his past from scrutiny.

He expressed particular concern over questions surrounding educational credentials, saying issues relating to foundational schooling, including primary and secondary education, should not remain unresolved or be addressed primarily through legal proceedings.

“Nigerians deserve clear, credible, and verifiable explanations, especially when such had been submitted in the past,” he said.

Obi said the controversy was particularly concerning because of the example it could set for more than 200 million Nigerians, including over 30 million young people in schools.

He argued that the Presidency should exemplify integrity, accountability, transparency and ethical leadership.

The former governor stressed that an imperfect past was part of the human condition, but said what mattered was the willingness to confront it with humility and honesty, make amends where necessary and place national interest above personal ambition.

He questioned when Nigeria’s political class would recognise that individual ambitions were temporary while the nation endured.

“The Presidency is an office held for a season; the moral standards established by those who occupy it can influence generations,” Obi said.

He added: “Nigeria is greater than any one person, and the integrity of the Republic must always come before the interests of the individual.”

Obi, who began his post by reaffirming his loyalty to Nigeria and faith in its future, concluded with his familiar call: “A New Nigeria is Possible.”