The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has blasted President Bola Tinubu and Benue State Governor Rev. Father Hyacinth Alia over their alleged insensitivity to the recent brutal killings in Benue State.
He recently said that Tinubu and Hyacinth Alia were wrong to turn a condolence visit into a campaign rally.
Speaking via his X account, Obi shared that it was sad to see the president fail to show sincere compassion for the people by arriving in a celebratory agbada attire, rather than in mourning cloth.
According to him, instead of the solemn and reflective visit many Nigerians expected from Tinubu, a period that should have been marked by silence and solemnity was publicly polluted by banners, music, and rehearsed spectacles.
“What has happened to our compassion as a people? We pleaded that the president should show leadership and visit Benue and Niger States in the spirit of deep national mourning to offer compassion and solidarity to families torn apart by the senseless massacre of over 200 innocent Nigerians in Benue State and flooding that killed a similar number in Niger State.
But what we saw in the Benue visit was, instead of a solemn, reflective visit, a display that would have been more befitting for the commissioning of the reconstructed Enugu-Makurdi highway, a critical road connecting South and Northern Nigeria that had become impassable for years.
The president arrived not in mourning cloth but in celebratory agbada attire, like it was an occasion for joy.
Even more heartbreaking is the role of the state. Rather than being in a mourning mood and weeping, they declared a public holiday, not for reflection or prayer, but to organise fanfare.
Schools were shut down. Children who should be mourning their slaughtered classmates and parents were instead lined up under the rain, rehearsed to sing and dance for the president. In what kind of country does this happen?
We have tragically arrived at a point where condolence visits have become carnivals. A time that should be marked by silence and solemnity is now polluted by banners, music, and rehearsed spectacles,” he said.
Peter Obi further noted that despite the several innocent lives that were lost days ago, BAT’s visit to the state ended up feeling like a campaign rally.
Comparing Nigeria to South Africa, the Labour Party member emphasised that after the recent floods in SA, there were no drums, staged crowds, or rented cheers when President Ramaphosa visited Mthatha.
He concluded by saying that politicizing sad incidents is further proof that Nigeria is slowly losing its soul.
“Precious Nigerian lives have been lost, yet we’re clapping, singing, and organising processions, as though this were a campaign rally.
This is not how any compassionate nation behaves. The energy, resources, and logistics poured into this charade could have gone into food supplies, temporary shelters, medical aid, school support, and trauma counselling for grieving families. Instead, we chose optics over empathy.
Look elsewhere: When President Ramaphosa visited Mthatha after the floods in South Africa, there were no drums. No staged crowds. No rented cheers. Just presence, silence, and action. When Prime Minister Modi went to the site of a crash, no one lined up to welcome him. He came, he mourned, he acted. That is what leadership looks like in moments of pain.
We must ask ourselves: What kind of people have we become?
Enough of this culture of impunity. We are not at war; yet our nation is bleeding, and we are clapping. It is not only insensitive; it is dangerous.
Let us not forget: These were human beings, children, mothers, fathers whose blood cries out for justice.
When very sad incidents like this turn to campaign or festival, our nation is losing its soul,” he added.
