Major opposition figure in Nigeria, Peter Obi, has again railed against the president and a horde of politicians calling the shots in the country, describing them as rogues.

“In a democracy, there is a guideline for people vying for election. Like in Nigerian case people must be qualified. They must have primary school, secondary school, university and attain certain age,” said the former Anambra governor. “That is not happening today. People are with unverified forged certificates all over the place, criminal records and they are in charge.”

Mr Obi added, “Nigeria today is not a democratic country. Let’s stop telling ourselves lies. If you look at all the tenets, the yardstick for measuring democracy doesn’t exist here. Simple definition: democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people.”

“Today, the government we have is not of the people. It is not by the people because the people didn’t vote. It wasn’t their votes. I’m not just talking about the presidency. Look at what is happening in Edo. Can you call that democracy? It is not the vote of the people.”

Mr Obi, who came third in the 2023 presidential election according to official results declared by the Independent Electoral Commission, which the Supreme Court affirmed, said Nigeria lacked effective legislature and an independent judiciary for a functional democratic rule.

“You cannot have a democracy without a functional and effective legislature, which you know we don’t have today. You cannot have democracy without an independent judiciary that fights for the common person,” the former Labour Party presidential candidate insisted.

Bayo Onanuga, the spokesperson for Mr Tinubu, could not immediately be reached for comments.

Previously, Mr Tinubu’s government warned Mr Obi about his oppositional comments.

Meanwhile, reacting to Mr Obi’s scathing criticism of Mr Tinubu, a presidential media aide, Daniel Bwala, said, “As I listen to @PeterObi this evening struggling to play the opposition (oppose the government) I can’t but shudder at his abysmal delivery. He was speaking devoid of facts, logical analysis and almost sounded like a tinkling cymbal or a sounding brass.”

Mr Bwala added, “Mr Gregory has still not recovered from the painful defeat of the 2023 polls.

“But I can understand his confusion because, as it stands today, he seems deserted in the banana republic of fantasy, wondering how he will convince his followers about his agreement to play second fiddle in the 2027 wild goose chase of the opposition. Nigeria dodged a bullet.”