By Abiola Olawale
Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has launched a scathing critique of President Bola Tinubu, describing the President’s recent meeting with victims of the Plateau State attacks at the Jos airport as “deeply insensitive” and a “normalization of tragedy.”
The backlash follows President Tinubu’s visit to Plateau State on Thursday, April 2, 2026, where he met with representatives of grieving communities in a hall adjoining the Yakubu Gowon Airport rather than visiting the affected villages in Jos North and Bassa LGAs.
In a strongly worded statement released via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Peter Obi expressed disappointment that the President’s “on-the-spot assessment” failed to reach the actual scenes of the massacre.
Obi, in a post on X on Friday, described the approach as lacking compassion, insisting that true leadership requires physical presence and empathy in moments of crisis.
“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,” Obi said.
Obi also referenced a similar visit by the President to Benue State in 2025, where he said Tinubu did not visit the scene of an attack.
“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,” Obi added.
The former Anambra State governor urged leaders to demonstrate responsiveness and commitment to ending insecurity across the country.
His comments come amid controversy over Tinubu’s visit to Jos, where he met victims at the airport.
The Presidency had earlier explained that logistical constraints, including limitations at the airport, prevented the President from travelling into the affected communities.
Critics, however, have argued that the move reflected a disconnect from victims of the violence.
The latest violence in Plateau State occurred on Palm Sunday in the Angwan Rukuba area of Jos North Local Government Area, where gunmen attacked residents, killing at least 27 people and leaving several others injured.
The incident is part of a recurring pattern of communal and sectarian clashes in Plateau, a state long plagued by tensions linked to ethnic, religious, and land disputes.
