Peter Obi faults Tinubu’s Benue visit, calls it a “fanfare” amid tragedy

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has strongly criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Benue State, describing it as an insensitive and performative spectacle unbefitting a nation in mourning.

In a powerful statement posted on Thursday, Peter Obi questioned the erosion of compassion in Nigeria’s leadership, lamenting what he called a “carnival of condolence” following the massacre of over 200 people in Benue and devastating floods that claimed similar lives in Niger State.

Obi said instead of a solemn visit reflective of the national grief, President Tinubu’s trip appeared more like a campaign rally. “The President arrived not in mourning cloth but in celebratory agbada attire, like it was an occasion for joy,” Obi said.

He also condemned the Benue State government’s decision to declare a public holiday for the visit—not for prayer or reflection, but to stage a grand welcome. “Schools were shut down. Children who should be mourning their slaughtered classmates and parents were instead lined up under the rain, rehearsed to sing and dance for the President,” he added.

The former Anambra governor decried the banners, music, and staged spectacles that greeted Tinubu’s arrival, saying such display was not how compassionate nations respond to tragedy. “Precious Nigerian lives have been lost, yet we’re clapping, singing, and organizing processions, as though this were a campaign rally.”

Drawing comparisons with other countries, Obi cited how leaders like South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa and India’s Narendra Modi conducted sober visits to disaster scenes without theatrics or fanfare. “That is what leadership looks like in moments of pain,” he stressed.

Obi urged Nigerians to reflect on what kind of people the country is becoming, adding that the nation is “not at war, yet bleeding and we are clapping.” He said the energy and logistics used to organize the President’s visit could have been better channeled into humanitarian support such as food, shelter, trauma care, and education relief.

“When very sad incidents like this turn to campaign or festival, our nation is losing its soul,” Obi concluded. “A new Nigeria is POssible!”