Peter Obi would visit Benue, Plateau, Niger, etc, unannounced.
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections,
We only get to see the pictures on Twitter afterwards. No sensible leader with empathy announced their visit to the scene of a gruesome tragedy; except Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
There is no need for all the pomp & gallantry. No need for such a grand entry. Because by so doing, he removed that element of surprise, HOPE, & the succor that Benue people most desperately need at this most unfortunate time.
An overly-insensitive man (with the ego of 2 year-olds) turned his visit to a campaign of sorts. The man is far from presidential.
He brings a certain type of loathing to that office, & I’m sure most Nigerians will agree with me. Because no one told the people of India to line up to receive Narendra Modi. When the unfortunate India Air crash happened, the man quickly dashed off to the scene of the crash.
Likewise, no one told the women of South Africa to line up to receive Cyril Ramaphosa (when he traveled to the town of Mthatha to console the victims of that flood disaster).
But when it came to Nigeria, they decided to plan an elaborate welcome ceremony; what I call the “celebration of death,” with Bola Tinubu as the Guest of Honor. The optics & messaging are so bad. So I cuss the APC thoroughly.
Those guys are only interested in the optics. Not the actual lives of grieving Benue mothers. They want to look good, instead of being good.
The APC are treating his visit as one of his achievements in two years. They told Benue women to wear asoebi & line up to welcome him. They declared a public holiday as well.
So expect a spectacle later tomorrow.
They will turn grieving mothers to a colorful Asoebi panorama. They weaponized the people’s grief. The most unfortunate thing any leader will do. Sunday Dare’s tweet & communiqués from Benue governor’s office, are all the proof you need. A very sad situation.
Now, before I close, I will leave us with these images. In case we forget why we here.
Governor of Benue State declared Public Holiday not to mourn his people but to honor the President for coming to carry out his responsibility as Commander in Chief, APC is a curse to Nigeria.
