Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, has strongly criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration following the offshore seizure of Nigeria’s presidential jets.

The seizure of three presidential aircraft was authorized by a Paris court as part of a legal dispute involving a Chinese company. In a post on his X handle, Obi labeled the situation as a significant international embarrassment. He accused the Tinubu administration of operating with a lack of transparency and treating the government as a personal family asset. “The trending international news on the seizure of three Jets belonging to Nigeria’s Presidential fleet is yet another of many embarrassing things exposing our failed leadership and our attitude to the rule of law even in a democracy,” Obi stated.

He further criticized the government’s actions, saying, “It has also exposed multiple dimensions to our leadership failure and our insensitivity to the plight of the growing poor class in our midst. The fact that the federal government went ahead with the jet deal despite the cacophonous cry against the purchase of a Presidential jet at this time when the people are going through a horrifying economic hardship shows the insensitivity of this administration.”

Obi also highlighted the issue of transparency, adding, “Added to it is the embarrassing aspect of our country’s Presidential jets being held for contractual breaches arising from yet another dimension of inadequate leadership tidiness. I have been loud in my demand over time that the government at all levels should be accountable to the people, meaning that they must be very transparent in all their dealings.”

He concluded by pointing out that Nigerians were unaware of the details surrounding the acquisition and potential sale of these jets until the French court’s ruling prohibited Nigeria from moving or selling the aircraft.