The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for attending a funeral in Plateau State instead of visiting communities devastated by insecurity.
Tinubu was in Jos on Saturday for the burial of Mama Lydia Yilwatda, mother of the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda. At the funeral service, the president urged residents to embrace peace, unity and tolerance by shunning ethnic and religious differences.
However, in a post shared on his official X account, Atiku described the trip as “a sad reflection of priorities and a mockery of leadership.”
The former Vice President said it was disappointing that the President chose to honour a social engagement linked to the APC chairman rather than pay condolence visits to families of victims of ongoing violence in the North Central region.
“With large swathes of the country still under siege from unrelenting insecurity and thousands of innocent lives lost, it is deeply unfortunate that President Bola Tinubu has not, for once, found it worthy to visit any of the affected states to commiserate with the grieving citizens,” Atiku said.
He argued that Tinubu’s choice showed insensitivity and a lack of compassion.
“Between the APC National Chairman and his President, what we witnessed today is a heartless exhibition of disregard for empathy, compassion, and the dignity of human life,” he added.
Atiku pointed out that states such as Benue, Niger, and Kwara had suffered repeated violent attacks without any direct presidential visit.
He also recalled that during Tinubu’s trip to Benue in June, “he never bothered to set foot in Yelewata, the epicentre of the massacre,” accusing him of avoiding areas worst affected by bloodshed.
“Now again, he is in Plateau State, not to console the bereaved or reassure the broken, but to celebrate and make merry with his party elite while the people mourn. The message could not be clearer: this is a President who would rather feast than feel—a leader who finds pleasure where the people find pain,” Atiku said.
He warned that Nigerians were paying attention to the President’s choices. “The people are watching, and they will remember,” Atiku added.
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