Peter Obi Decries Festive Nature of Tinubu’s Benue Visit Amidst Tragedy

Peter Obi, former Labour Party presidential candidate, has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Benue State, saying it lacked the solemnity expected in the wake of a massacre that claimed over 200 lives. In a statement posted on his official X platform, Obi expressed dismay that the visit resembled a political event rather than a condolence mission.

Obi urged that the President should have visited Benue and Niger states in a spirit of mourning and solidarity with victims of the recent attacks and floods. Instead, he noted, the President arrived in celebratory attire, and the visit was marked by fanfare rather than grief.

He condemned the Benue State Government’s declaration of a public holiday for the visit, which Obi said was used to organize performances by children who should have been mourning instead. “In what kind of country does this happen?” he questioned.

Obi lamented that condolence visits have become carnivals, marked by noise and rehearsed displays, rather than silence and reflection. He compared this with leadership in other countries, highlighting President Ramaphosa’s quiet visit to flood victims and Prime Minister Modi’s unaccompanied visit to a crash site, emphasizing that true leadership shows presence and action in moments of pain.

Obi warned that politicizing such tragedies risks eroding the nation’s soul, stressing that the victims’ blood cries out for justice. He concluded that turning mourning into celebration is a dangerous trend for Nigeria.

President Tinubu visited Benue on Wednesday following a deadly attack. He held a town hall meeting with security chiefs, ordering the arrest of perpetrators, and visited victims at the state teaching hospital. The President was accompanied by key officials including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the state governor.