Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has criticized President Bola Tinubu for failing to visit Benue State, despite the mass killings there. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Obi said the president’s absence reflects a lack of value for human lives.
He highlighted examples from other countries, such as India and South Africa, where national leaders personally visited tragedy sites, showing leadership and compassion in moments of crisis.
Obi noted that Nigeria recently experienced severe flooding in Niger State, where around 200 people died and many remain missing — yet no presidential visit followed, even though the location is just an hour away by helicopter.
He also referenced the recent massacre of over 200 people in Benue, including women, children, and soldiers, stressing that once again, there was no visit, no public show of mourning, and no presidential presence to comfort the victims or show solidarity.
Obi contrasted this with the actions of leaders in other nations:
In India, the Prime Minister visited the site of a deadly plane crash within hours.
In South Africa, the President personally met with flood victims and took responsibility.
Obi described these as examples of empathetic, accountable leadership. He argued that Nigeria suffers from a lack of leadership with compassion, and said that without choosing leaders based on competence, character, and capacity, the country will remain stuck in a cycle of pain and tragedy.