Obi to Tinubu: End France retreat, return home to tackle rising insecurity

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to suspend his ongoing retreat in France and return to Nigeria immediately to address the worsening security crisis gripping the nation.

In a statement posted Wed2 on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Obi expressed grave concern over the increasing rate of violence and insecurity across the country, lamenting what he described as a “glaring absence of governance.”

“Within just two weeks of Mr President’s absence, over 150 Nigerians have lost their lives due to various security breaches, especially in Plateau and Zamfara States,” Obi wrote.

He also pointed to the resurgence of insurgency in the North-East, particularly in Borno State, where both civilians and security personnel have been reported killed. The situation, he added, is not different in the South-East, where killings and abductions continue unabated.

Obi condemned the repeated pipeline explosions in the Niger Delta, describing them as further evidence of a nation in deep crisis. “Amid these disturbing developments, the CEO of the troubled company called Nigeria is holding a retreat in faraway France, removed from the epicentre of national distress,” he said.

He questioned the wisdom of conducting a strategic retreat in a foreign land that enjoys relative peace and stability secured by its leadership, while back home, “blood continues to flow.”

Reaffirming that his comments were driven not by personal ambition but by a desire to see a better-governed nation, Obi urged the President to “suspend whatever he is doing in France and return home to take responsibility by addressing these disturbing issues.”

“The fight for a better Nigeria is not about individuals,” he added. “It is about ensuring that every citizen can see, feel, and benefit from the policies and decisions of those in power.”