The presidential candidate of Labour Party in 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, has strongly criticised President Bola Tinubu for failing to visit Yelwata in Benue State, the site of a recent massacre, citing “bad roads” as an unacceptable excuse
In a statement issued on Thursday via his Facebook page, Obi described Tinubu’s inability to reach the affected community—even after arriving in Benue—as a clear failure of leadership, questioning how a president could be hindered by infrastructure conditions under his own administration.
One of the consistent principles of leadership is the willingness to make ultimate sacrifices and take risks,” Obi said. “A true leader does not make excuses or complain; he shows up, sacrifices, and provides solutions, especially in difficult times.”
Obi noted that the President had sufficient time to prepare for the visit after the killings occurred, and could have made appropriate logistical arrangements, including the use of air transportation.
“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?” he queried. “Are we saying a nation that boasts of a presidential air fleet could not airlift the President to Yelwata to condole with grieving citizens?”
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The former Anambra State governor emphasised that true leadership demands presence and empathy in times of national pain. He argued that what the people of Benue needed was not protocol or explanations, but genuine compassion and solidarity.
“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 condemned what he called institutional neglect and called for a new standard of leadership that prioritises action over excuses. “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 concluded.