Former Vice President and the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s prolonged stay abroad amid rising insecurity and killings in Benue State and many other parts of the country.
The recent attacks in Benue State’s Logo and Gbagir communities have raised concerns about the government’s ability to protect its citizens.
According to Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia of Benue State, the death toll in gunmen’s latest attacks on some communities in Logo and Ukum local government areas of the State has risen to 55.
Some communities, such as Ugondo in Logo and Tyuluv, Gbagir, and Ukum LGS, were attacked in a coordinated attack by gunmen suspected to be armed herders between Thursday and Friday.
In a statement on his official Facebook account on Saturday, Atiku expressed his disappointment and frustration over the president’s absence.
Atiku emphasised that leadership demands presence, especially during times of national crisis, citing examples of other world leaders who have shown empathy and urgency in similar situations, such as former US President Barack Obama and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The former vice president condemned Tinubu’s decision to remain abroad while Nigerians are dying and the country is bleeding.
“Nigeria is bleeding. Nigerians are dying. The president is nowhere to be found,” Atiku lamented.
Atiku called on Tinubu to show empathy and concern for the welfare of Nigerians, particularly in the face of the recent attacks in Benue State.
He expressed his condolences to the people and government of Benue State, saying, “My heartfelt condolences go to the people and Government of Benue State. We stand with you in grief and in solidarity.”
Atiku also alleged that the Tinubu administration is incompetent and lacks coherent ideas to tackle Nigeria’s deepening security crisis.
He stated that this is not just his position but a growing consensus among political opposition leaders, respected security experts, and even members within the ruling party.
The former vice president emphasised that the expected minimum from a leader is to show up and demonstrate empathy during times of national trauma.
He noted that Tinubu’s absence is a clear indication of his administration’s ineptitude.
However, Atiku suggested that even if Tinubu cannot lead with genuine empathy, he should at least attempt to perform it.
“If Tinubu cannot deliver safety and dignity to Nigerians, the very least he can do is pretend to care,” he said.
The former Vice President’s statement reads, “The Tinubu administration has proven, time and again, to be utterly incapable, wholly incompetent, and completely devoid of any coherent ideas for tackling Nigeria’s deepening security crisis. This is not just my position — it is a growing consensus among political opposition leaders, respected security experts, and even members within the ruling party who, though too timid to speak publicly, confess this uncomfortable truth behind closed doors.
“The blood of innocent Nigerians continues to be spilt with appalling regularity—most recently in the Logo and Gbagir communities of Ukum LGA in Benue State. Yet, the Tinubu presidency remains disturbingly indifferent, displaying neither urgency nor the basic decency of public empathy.
“Leadership demands presence. In 2016, President Barack Obama cut short an important diplomatic visit to return home after five police officers were killed in a lone gunman attack. In 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa abandoned a state visit to Egypt to return to South Africa amid an electricity crisis. Even U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, heavily criticised for fleeing to Mexico during a deadly winter storm in Texas, eventually returned and acknowledged his mistake.
“In our own history, President Goodluck Jonathan returned from Equatorial Guinea in 2014 following a deadly bomb blast in Abuja. That is the expected minimum in moments of national trauma.
“Yet President Bola Tinubu, incapable of solving Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, chooses instead to gallivant across Europe, governing Nigeria in absentia as if from a holiday perch. If he cannot act, the least he can do is show up. If he cannot lead with empathy, he should at least attempt to perform it. Nigeria is bleeding. Nigerians are dying. The president is nowhere to be found.
“My heartfelt condolences go to the people and government of Benue State. We stand with you in grief and in solidarity.
“An inept administration may not suddenly discover competence. But we will not stop calling it out. If Tinubu cannot deliver safety and dignity to Nigerians, the very least he can do is pretend to care, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or political affiliation.”
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