Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, cited differences in the security records of former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, contrasting them with the tenures of Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Yar’Adua.

Speaking at a panel discussion during the Annual Lecture and International Leadership Symposium of the Centre for Values in Leadership, Obi argued that the current system, where governors lack sufficient authority over security matters, is fundamentally flawed.

“There is always a difference between one president and another,” Obi declared. “We cannot compare the presidencies of Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Yar’Adua to what we have now.”

Under Obasanjo and Yar’Adua, Obi said governors held significant power over security within their states. He cited his experience as Anambra governor, where he was granted the authority to remove Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and made security decisions directly with the president’s backing.

“The governor has to be in charge of the state and be responsible,” Obi said. “So, we need a president who is determined to give the governors the authority to do something.”