Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has sharply criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over what he described as an insensitive and poorly handled condolence visit to Benue State, where over 200 people were reportedly killed in recent attacks by suspected armed herders.
Obi, in a strongly worded post on social media platform X, condemned the President’s choice of attire and the general tone of the visit, which he said resembled a celebration rather than a solemn national moment of grief.
“The President arrived not in mourning cloth but in celebratory agbada attire, like it was an occasion for joy,” Obi wrote. “Instead of a sombre and reflective presence, what we witnessed was a show — more befitting of a road commissioning ceremony than a condolence visit to a state in mourning.”
The attacks, which occurred in Yelwata, Guma Local Government Area, are part of a broader crisis in the region often linked to land disputes involving armed herders. President Tinubu, during his visit, assured residents that the federal government would address the violence.
However, Obi argued that the President’s demeanor and the government’s coordination of the visit betrayed a lack of empathy.
“Children were lined up under the rain, singing and dancing, when they should have been in mourning. Schools were shut down, not for prayer or reflection, but for orchestrated fanfare,” he stated. “This was not a condolence visit. It was a carefully staged political event — a carnival in the shadow of tragedy.”
Obi also drew comparisons with other global leaders, citing instances where condolence visits were marked by quiet dignity and purposeful action rather than pageantry. He pointed to the approach of South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in similar national tragedies as examples of authentic leadership in times of grief.
“Condolence visits are not campaign rallies. They are not spectacles. We are fast losing our national soul when we turn moments of pain into parades,” Obi lamented.
The former Anambra State governor concluded his remarks with a passionate plea for a change in national attitude: “Enough of this culture of impunity. We are not at war, yet our nation is bleeding — and we are clapping.”
He reaffirmed his belief that “a new Nigeria is POssible” and called on citizens and leaders alike to restore compassion, dignity, and justice to national life.
