Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, is still blasting President Bola Tinubu for failing to visit Yelwata, the Benue State community where scores were recently killed.
He recently shared that Tinubu’s flood complaint is nothing but a flimsy excuse used to evade his duty of national empathy and leadership.
Speaking via his social media page, Peter Obi said that the president should know that leadership has never been about comfort or excuses, but about sacrifice and responsibility, particularly during moments of grief.
“It is deeply troubling that following the brutal massacre in Yelwata, the president claimed he could not visit the victims due to bad roads. That explanation is not only unacceptable — it is disheartening,” he said.
According to him, he cannot understand how the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces could cite infrastructure as a reason for not fulfilling his presidential duties, especially after several days had passed between the attack and Tinubu’s eventual appearance in Benue.
Obi stated that if the president of a country is unable to reach his own citizens because of bad roads, he can only wonder how hard it is for the ordinary Nigerians plying such roads every day.
“If the President cannot reach his own citizens because of bad roads, what hope exists for the ordinary Nigerian, who plies those roads every day — without the benefit of convoys or air fleets?
Questioning the fact that road was impassable in the first place, Obi pointed out that presidential aides and advance staff reportedly made it to Yelwata.
He concluded by insisting that if President Tinubu really wanted to reach his destination, the helicopters in the presidential air fleet could have been arranged to ensure the visit happened.
“This is not about logistics — it’s about priorities. The people of Benue didn’t need protocol or press statements. They needed to see their president. They needed compassion, not excuses.
We cannot build a New Nigeria on evasion. It must be built on truth, courage, and presence,” he added.
