Leadnaija
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for failing to visit Yelwata, a community in Benue State where over 200 people were reportedly killed by suspected herdsmen.
Speaking during an appearance on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme aired on Friday, Adebayo described the president’s absence from the grieving community as a failure in leadership and a missed opportunity to show true empathy.
“He cannot say, as commander-in-chief, that there is a part of the country that is unreachable,” Adebayo said. “People are living there. Going to a place of mourning—where even during the Nigerian Civil War, the loss of 200 lives would have been headline news—deserves more than a symbolic gesture.”
The SDP leader further condemned what he described as a lack of seriousness in the federal government’s handling of the tragedy.
“When the president eventually acknowledged the situation, it looked more like another political rally than a visit of condolence,” Adebayo said. “That sombreness was not there. The president should have gone there as a chief mourner. His language should have been somber and better controlled.”
His remarks come amid ongoing criticisms over the government’s handling of security in central Nigeria, particularly the rising wave of attacks attributed to suspected armed herders.
As of press time, the presidency has not issued a formal response to Adebayo’s comments.
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