Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has said that recent terror attacks in parts of the country validate former U.S. President Donald Trump’s description of Nigeria as a ‘now disgraced nation.’
Obi made the comment on Wednesday in a statement posted on X while reacting to the abduction of 25 students in Kebbi State and the killing of Brigadier General Musa Uba in Borno State.
Obi maintained that Nigerians should not shy away from acknowledging the grim reality confronting the nation.
Gunmen had stormed Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in the early hours of Monday, killing the vice principal and abducting 25 female students.
The attack was followed by the killing of Brigadier General Musa Uba, who was earlier declared safe after an ISWAP ambush along the Damboa–Biu axis in Borno.
The officer was confirmed dead by the terror group, which released photos claiming responsibility on Tuesday.
Obi linked the worsening insecurity to what he described as unnecessary political distractions and internal divisions consuming the country’s major political parties.
“Rather than uniting in this critical moment, we are consumed by internal wrangling, party squabbles, and distractions,” he said, citing ongoing crises in the PDP, Labour Party, SDP and others.
He alleged that these conflicts were being “deliberately orchestrated by a government that should be embracing everyone so we can unite in this troubling period.”
He contrasted the situation with the approach taken under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, recalling that “the stability of every political party — not just the ruling party — was essential for democracy.”
Obi said Yar’Adua had directed then-INEC Chairman Maurice Iwu to avoid undermining any party.
“What we witness today is the opposite. The current government seems more intent on weakening parties than strengthening our democracy,” he added.
Obi concluded that in true democracies, opposition is respected and governance “involves carrying everyone along for peace and prosperity.”
