The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP counterpart, Mr Atiku Abuibakar have criticised President Bola Tinubu for abandoning the ship of state for a visit to France.
The duo, in separate statements, said there are urgent national issues deserving his (Tinubu’s) attention in Nigeria, stressing that things had gone awry in the since the president abdicated his responsibility.
Recall that Tinubu left for France on April 2 on what the presidency described as a “working visit.”
Taking to his X handle, Obi told the president to call off his visit and return home to attend to pressing domestic problems, particularly insecurity exemplified by the bloodshed in Plateau State, attacks in Zamfara State and pipeline explosions in the Niger Delta.
Obi said no fewer than 150 persons had been killed in Nigeria in the last two weeks since the president left the country.
“Mr President, domestic problems beckon. I am compelled at this time in our lives as a nation to call on our retreating President’s attention to the security challenges at home, which entail that he immediately suspend his ongoing retreat in a foreign land and come home to address the overwhelming security situation across the country.
“This urgent call has become necessary following the rising incidents of crimes and criminalities all over Nigeria with an apparent absence of governance.
“In the two weeks you have been away, over 150 Nigerians have lost their lives to insecurity across Nigeria, especially in Plateau and Zamfara states,” he wrote.
Besides, Obi cited widespread security challenges across the federation, expressing surprise that Tinubu could afford to stay put outside the country amid the deaths and economic losses.
“The repeated pipeline explosions in the Niger Delta, further reflect a nation in distress.
“In the North East, Borno state leaders are bemoaning the return of insurgency with troops and civilians being killed randomly. In the South East, the story is the same: killings and abduction.
“Amid all these, the CEO of the troubling company called Nigeria is retreating in far away land in France from the company’s headquarters.
“The primary duty of any government is securing the lives and property of its citizens and one wonders the type of retreat going on in another country where peace has been secured by their leaders while blood continues to flow in our country.
“The fight for a better Nigeria is not about individuals; it is about ensuring that every citizen can see, feel, and benefit from the policies and decisions of those in power.
“I, therefore like to urge Mr President to quickly suspend whatever he is doing in France and rush home to take responsibility by addressing these disturbing issues.
“That is the new Nigeria that the nation seeks,” he added.
Obi also condemned the latest killing of another 50 people in Bassa, Plateau state.
“This heartbreaking incident comes barely a day after I visited Plateau, a land of courageous and resilient people who, for years, have continued to cry out for justice, peace, and protection.
‘To return from such a visit only to be confronted with another round of bloodshed is both painful and unacceptable. No nation can thrive when its citizens are slaughtered in their homes and communities without consequence.”
“What is happening in Plateau State is no longer isolated violence. As rightly pointed out by Governor Muftwang, this has become a deliberate, systematic pattern of coordinated attacks. It is imperative that the federal government urgently rises to its constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property across Nigeria.
“This is not the time for promises and press statements. It is time for concrete, strategic action. The people of Plateau need more than sympathy, they need security. The federal government must immediately deploy reinforced security operations and actionable intelligence to dismantle the criminal networks behind these atrocities,” stated.
Obi said no country could afford to mourn its citizens everyday and called for the prosecution of the perpetrators of the killing.
“We cannot continue to mourn our fellow citizens daily while those responsible walk free. There must be justice, and it must be swift, transparent, and total. The perpetrators must be identified, apprehended, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“Nigerians deserve to live in peace, with dignity and without fear, in every corner of this country. My heart goes out to the bereaved families, and I pray that the souls of the departed rest in peace. May God grant the people of Plateau strength in this time of profound grief,” he said.
For his part, Atiku questioned Tinubu’s continued stay in France in the face of a resurgence of in deadly violence across the country.
In a statement issued by his media office, Atiku said Nigeria “is in a full-blown state of emergency,” citing the killings in Plateau and Benue states and the resurgence of Boko Haram terrorists in Borno.
The PDP stalwart said the president’s “working visit” in France is nothing more than a vacation cloaked in official jargon, describing it as a “dereliction of duty on a catastrophic scale”.
He questioned the rationale behind a leader who borrows billions only to blow scarce funds on vanity trips abroad, describing such act as not just “irresponsible” but also “contemptuous.”
“On April 2, 2025, President Bola Tinubu flew out to France. Had this absurd announcement come just a day earlier, Nigerians would have dismissed it as an April fool’s joke. But sadly, it’s no prank — just another insult to a nation pushed to the brink by a presidency that treats its citizens like fools.
“The official excuse? A so-called “working visit.” But Nigerians aren’t buying the spin. The presidency scrambled to clarify that it wasn’t a medical trip — how noble. But even if it’s not medical tourism, what justification is there for gallivanting across Europe while Nigeria bleeds? What kind of leader borrows billions only to blow scarce funds on vanity trips abroad? It’s not just irresponsible— it’s contemptuous.
“Let the facts speak for themselves. By the time Tinubu struts back from this latest escapade, he will have racked up a staggering 59 days in France since assuming office. “See Paris and die?” No — see Paris and abandon your country.
“While Tinubu dines under chandeliers in the land of good governance, the country he governs is spiraling into chaos. Plateau has turned into a killing field — over 100 lives lost in relentless attacks. Benue is bleeding. Boko Haram is seizing territory. And every single day, Nigerians sink deeper into poverty, insecurity and despair.
“This isn’t just negligence. It’s dereliction of duty on a catastrophic scale.
“If Tinubu had even a shred of empathy, he would cut his trip short and return immediately. A leader with an ounce of patriotism wouldn’t need to be begged to show up in times of crisis. The constitution says the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government. But under Tinubu, that sacred duty has been trashed.
“Let’s be honest: there is absolutely nothing Tinubu is doing in France that he couldn’t do in Lagos, or even in Iragbiji. This so-called “working visit” is nothing more than a vacation cloaked in official jargon.
“Nigeria is in a full-blown state of emergency. Not a contrived political emergency like what Tinubu declared in Rivers for partisan gain — this is a national collapse. So when, exactly, will Tinubu declare a state of emergency on his own disastrous presidency?” he said.
