The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to immediately return home to confront rising insecurity.
He said this on his X handle amid the rising spate of violence incidents and banditry in Plateau, Zamfara, Borno and some other parts of the country.
President Tinubu departed for France on April 2 on a two-week “working visit”.
Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, said the trip was aimed at reviewing ongoing reforms and engaging in strategic planning ahead of the administration’s second anniversary.
In his Wednesday post, Obi said he was compelled to call on “our retreating President’s attention to the security challenges at home, which entails that he immediately suspend his ongoing retreat in a foreign land and come home to address the overwhelming security situation across the country.”
According to him, his urgent call became necessary following the rising incidents of crimes and criminalities all over Nigeria with an apparent absence of governance.
“In the 2 weeks you have been away, over 150 Nigerians have lost their lives to insecurity across Nigeria, especially in Plateau and Zamfara states. 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 far away land in France from the company’s headquarters,” Obi said.
He noted that 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.”
He also said that 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,” Obi said.
