Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, has sharply criticized President Bola Tinubu for what he described as a lack of “leadership empathy” over the recent mass killings in Benue State and the devastating flooding in Niger State.
Taking to his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, Obi questioned why the President had not physically visited either state, despite the tragic loss of lives in both incidents.
“Sadly, the evidence is right before our eyes,” Obi wrote.
“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.”
He also referred to the wave of violence in Benue State, where over 200 people, including civilians and soldiers, were reportedly killed by suspected marauders in a series of recent attacks.
“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.”
Drawing comparisons with international examples of empathetic leadership, Obi said:
“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.”
He emphasized, “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 went further to argue that Nigeria’s leadership woes stem from a system that fails to prioritize competence and integrity when electing leaders.
“That is why I insist: Nigeria does not just need another president; Nigeria needs a leader, a leader with competence, capacity, character, and compassion. Until we choose leaders on these principles, the cycle of pain will only continue,” he asserted.
Addressing the root of the leadership crisis, Obi warned against the continued habit of voting along ethnic and religious lines.
“Leadership of a nation is such that it’s either succeeding or failing, none can be hidden.”
“There are critical areas of leadership that must exist for a nation to move forward, and these are summed up in four Cs: Competence, Capacity, Character and Compassion. Where these four are non-existent, there is no magic you can do.”
He added, “It’s in this line that I have always maintained that 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.”
Obi concluded his message by stressing the urgent need for purposeful leadership that blends knowledge, experience, and emotional intelligence.
“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.”
