On Monday morning, June 16, 2025, Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, criticized President Bola Tinubu for failing to visit Benue State following the recent spate of killings there.
In a post on X, Obi accused Tinubu of showing a lack of regard for human lives by not visiting the state after over 200 people were massacred by herders. He contrasted this response with the swift and compassionate reactions of leaders in other countries facing tragedies.
Obi pointed to examples from India and South Africa, where leaders personally visited disaster sites to console victims and take responsibility.
“There has been widespread outrage over Tinubu’s response to the Benue massacre, especially as his official statement came nearly 24 hours after the incident, while Pope Leo sent condolences much earlier,” Obi said.
He wrote: “Recently, we witnessed severe flooding in Niger State that claimed nearly 200 lives, with many still missing. Yet, not even a single presidential visit, this, in a nation where the scene of the tragedy is less than an hour away by helicopter.
“Just days ago, over 200 Nigerians, innocent men, women, children, and even soldiers were massacred in Benue State.
“Again, no presidential visit. No physical presence at the scenes of pain. No genuine national mourning. No leadership face to comfort the grieving or give hope to the people.
“Yet, we have seen what true leadership looks like elsewhere: In India, after a plane crash killed nearly 200 people, the Prime Minister was physically at the scene within hours. In South Africa, when floods claimed 78 lives, the president went personally to the affected communities, stood with them, and took responsibility.
“That is leadership with compassion. That is leadership that understands the value of human life. But here in Nigeria, we have normalised leadership without empathy, without accountability, and without a human face.
“That is why I insist: Nigeria does not just need another president; Nigeria needs a leader, a leader with competence, capacity, character, and compassion. Until we choose leaders on these principles, the cycle of pain will only continue.”
