The 2023 Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to return to the country and at least show that he cares about the people, decrying that Nigerians are dying.
Atiku’s remark comes amid the escalating insecurity in the country, particularly after the numerous deaths recorded in the Plateau and Benue attacks.
The Presidency had on Friday affirmed that President Tinubu is fully engaged in Nigeria’s governance despite being away from the country, adding that the President will return and resume duties after the Easter holidays.
However, in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday evening, Atiku said that President Tinubu’s administration is not proactive in addressing the security challenges and equally lacks compassion.
“The Tinubu administration has proven, time and again, to be utterly incapable, wholly incompetent, and completely devoid of any coherent ideas for tackling Nigeria’s deepening security crisis.
“This is not just my position — it is a growing consensus among political opposition leaders, respected security experts, and even members within the ruling party who, though too timid to speak publicly, confess this uncomfortable truth behind closed doors.
“The blood of innocent Nigerians continues to be spilled with appalling regularity—most recently in the Logo and Gbagir communities of Ukum LGA in Benue State. Yet, the Tinubu presidency remains disturbingly indifferent, displaying neither urgency nor the basic decency of public empathy,” he stated.
The former Vice President noted that leadership demands presence, citing how Barack Obama and Cyril Ramaphosa suspended their retreats as Presidents of the United States and South Africa in response to critical situations in their respective countries.
“Leadership demands presence. In 2016, President Barack Obama cut short an important diplomatic visit to return home after five police officers were killed in a lone gunman attack. In 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa abandoned a state visit to Egypt to return to South Africa amid an electricity crisis.
“Even U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, heavily criticized for fleeing to Mexico during a deadly winter storm in Texas, eventually returned and acknowledged his mistake. In our own history, President Goodluck Jonathan returned from Equatorial Guinea in 2014 following a deadly bomb blast in Abuja. That is the expected minimum in moments of national trauma.”
Atiku continued: “Yet President Bola Tinubu, incapable of solving Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, chooses instead to gallivant across Europe — governing Nigeria in absentia as if from a holiday perch. If he cannot act, the least he can do is show up.
“If he cannot lead with empathy, he should at least attempt the performance of it. Nigeria is bleeding. Nigerians are dying. The president is nowhere to be found. My heartfelt condolences go to the people and Government of Benue State. We stand with you in grief and in solidarity.”
He mentioned that an inept administration may not suddenly discover competence, stressing that “we will not stop calling it out”.
“If Tinubu cannot deliver safety and dignity to Nigerians, the very least he can do is pretend to care —regardless of ethnicity, religion, or political affiliation,” he added.
