Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, has criticized the style of leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the failure of the Federal Government to visit victims of Niger flood disaster and Benue massacre, respectively.
It would be recalled that on May 28, 2025, flooding caused by heavy rainfall submerged the market town of Mokwa in Niger State, Nigeria, killing more than 200 people in the process.
Hundreds were also reportedly massacred in a recent attack by gunmen in Yelewata village, an area known for conflicts between farmers and herders in Benue State.
However, Obi, who posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, accused the Federal Government of not showing enough empathy and concern over the safety and lives of the citizens.
“The evidence is right before our eyes. Recently, we witnessed severe flooding in Niger State that claimed nearly 200 lives, with many still missing. Yet, not even a single presidential visit, this, in a nation where the scene of the tragedy is less than an hour away by helicopter.
“Just days ago, over 200 Nigerians, innocent men, women, children, and even soldiers were massacred in Benue State. Again, no presidential visit. No physical presence at the scenes of pain. No genuine national mourning. No leadership face to comfort the grieving or give hope to the people.”
Continuing, Obi said: “We have seen what true leadership looks like elsewhere: In India, after a plane crash killed nearly 200 people, the Prime Minister was physically at the scene within hours.
“In South Africa, when floods claimed 78 lives, the president went personally to the affected communities, stood with them, and took responsibility.
“That is leadership with compassion. That is leadership that understands the value of human life. But here in Nigeria, we have normalised leadership without empathy, without accountability, and without a human face.”
Obi, who titled his post “What cannot be hidden in Leadership,” said time has come for Nigerians to move away from voting based on tribe and religion, and begin to vote for people with competence and character.
“We must move away from voting based on tribe and religion, and begin to vote for people with competence, capacity, character, and compassion, because we have all seen, painfully, what leadership without these qualities has done to our country.
“Competence because Nigeria today needs a leader who understands the issues, who has the knowledge, experience, and clear ideas to solve them. Capacity because it is not a ceremonial position; it requires strength, stamina, and the mental energy to confront our complex challenges.
“And above all, leadership must be rooted in character and integrity because without integrity, public trust collapses, corruption thrives, and selfishness takes over.
“But perhaps most importantly, we need compassion, because when a leader lacks compassion, human lives are treated as statistics, and suffering is ignored.”
