Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for failing to visit the Yelwata community in Benue State during his recent trip to the area.
President Tinubu was in Benue on Wednesday, June 18, to sympathise with victims of a recent deadly attack that left over 150 people dead in Yelwata.
However, he did not stop at the affected community, citing rain, flooding, and poor road conditions as the reasons for his decision.
In a strongly worded statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, June 20, Obi faulted the president’s excuse and stressed that true leadership involves making sacrifices, especially during moments of national tragedy.
“One of the consistent principles of leadership is the willingness to make ultimate sacrifices and take risks.
A true leader does not make excuses or complain; he shows up, sacrifices, and provides solutions, especially in difficult times,” Obi wrote.
While Obi acknowledged that the president’s safety should be a priority, he insisted that using bad roads as a reason was unacceptable especially for a sitting president who had already made it into the state.
“If the Commander-in-Chief cannot reach a part of his own country due to bad roads, what hope is there for the ordinary Nigerian who plies those same routes every day?” he asked.
Obi questioned why the presidential air fleet wasn’t used, adding that the president could have reached the community by helicopter if road access was truly impossible.
“Even if we accept that the roads were truly impassable which they are not, as presidential aides and staff managed to navigate them what happened to the use of helicopters?” Obi asked.
He added that what the people of Yelwata needed was not formality or explanation, but the presence and comfort of their leader in a painful moment.
“The people of Benue did not need protocol or explanations. They needed empathy.
They needed presence. The roads may be bad, but what is worse is the institutional neglect that brought us to this point.”
The Tinubu bad roads excuse has sparked mixed reactions across social media, with many Nigerians echoing Obi’s sentiments about the need for leaders to stand with their people during difficult times.
Obi ended his statement by stressing the kind of leadership Nigeria truly needs moving forward.
“A New Nigeria cannot and will not be built on excuses. It will be built on the sacrifices, courage, and responsibility of true leaders,” he said.
