Complete Absence Of Leadership – Peter Obi Knocks Tinubu Over Plateau Visit

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has berated President Bola Tinubu for engaging victims of Plateau State killings at the airport on Friday without visiting the actual scenes.

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Speaking in a statement via his 𝕏 account, Obi described Tinubu’s action as a complete absence of leadership, stressing that it was inadequate for the President to have addressed the victims from the airport.

According to him, the action of President Tinubu conveys a sense of abandonment to the victims who have endured repeated cycles of violence without meaningful protection or justice.

The former Anambra State Governor said Tinubu should have demonstrated presence, empathy, compassion, and a willingness to meet people where their pain truly lies during such times.

“During his visit to Benue State in June 2025, Bola Ahmed Tinubu stopped at the Government House but did not go to the actual scene where innocent Nigerians lost their lives. Similarly, yesterday in Jos, his engagement ended at the airport instead of at the affected communities.

“What happened in Plateau yesterday highlights a complete absence of leadership. True leadership requires presence, empathy, compassion, and a willingness to meet people where their pain truly lies. For citizens who have just lost loved ones, homes, and their sense of safety, being addressed from an airport tarmac is profoundly inadequate.

“This approach exacerbates the sense of abandonment already felt by innocent Nigerians who have endured repeated cycles of violence without meaningful protection or justice. Plateau deserves more than distant words; it requires urgent action and a clear commitment to ending the insecurity that continues to claim innocent lives.

“In such moments, leadership must not only be visible but also tangible—standing with victims, listening to survivors, and acknowledging the depth of their grief.

“If we truly desire a better Nigeria, we must demand leadership that is present, responsive, and responsible at all times.

“A new Nigeria is POssible,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, the Presidency on Friday defended President Bola Tinubu’s decision to meet victims of the recent Plateau State killings at a hall adjoining the Yakubu Gowon Airport in Jos, rather than visiting the affected communities within the city.

The Presidency said the arrangement was necessitated by flight restrictions and logistical constraints.

In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency explained that the airport runway does not support night flights because it lacks navigational aids.

According to him, the limitation made it impractical for the President to drive into Jos township, meet victims at the attack scene, and return to the airport before dusk.