The Labour Party (LP), under the Interim National Working Committee led by Senator Nenadi Usman, has issued a strong call to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to fulfill his constitutional duty of protecting Nigerians or resign from office.
In a statement released on Thursday by the Interim National Publicity Secretary, Tony Akeni, the LP accused Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of neglecting the nation’s worsening security situation, despite massive defence spending exceeding ₦6.5 trillion and billions of dollars over the past decade.
Security Failures Across Successive Governments
According to Akeni, Nigeria’s security challenges are the cumulative failures of both the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He emphasized that no party could claim innocence, citing alarming statistics between 2006 and 2021: over 101,000 violent deaths from terrorist attacks, kidnappings, robberies, police brutality, and extra-judicial killings — averaging 57 lives lost daily.
“The primary duty of any government is to protect lives and property. If President Tinubu cannot deliver on this, he should sack the National Security Adviser, reconfigure the armed services, strengthen security governance, or patriotically resign,” Akeni stated.
Rising Budgets, Rising Violence
The LP highlighted a troubling paradox: as Nigeria’s defence budgets soar, insecurity worsens. Between 2016 and 2022 alone, the Buhari-led APC government spent nearly $10 billion on security. Under Tinubu, the 2025 defence budget hit a record ₦6.57 trillion, while police allocations climbed from ₦783 billion in 2022 to almost ₦1 trillion in 2024.
Despite these huge expenditures, kidnappings, killings, and mass abductions continue across the nation. Recent tragedies include the Katsina mosque massacre, where 30 worshippers were killed and over 20 others burnt alive, alongside ongoing attacks in Plateau and Benue states.
“Security Funds Diverted Into Private Pockets”
The LP accused successive governments of mismanaging defence funds, pointing to the lavish lifestyle and wealth accumulation of public officials.
“The death toll in Nigeria today rivals that of countries in active war,” the statement noted.
The Labour Party extended condolences to victims’ families, describing the incidents as yet another tragic reminder of the government’s failure to protect its citizens.
