Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has taken a swipe at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, criticising his recent visit to Plateau State for the burial of the mother of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda.
President Tinubu had attended the funeral service of Lydia Yilwatda in Jos, the Plateau State capital, on Saturday. However, Atiku described the President’s visit as “insensitive” given the worsening insecurity and numerous killings plaguing the North Central region.
In a post shared via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the former Vice President accused the President of showing more interest in political events than in empathising with victims of banditry and terrorism across Nigeria.
“With large swathes of the country still under siege from unrelenting insecurity and thousands of innocent lives lost, it is deeply unfortunate that President Bola Tinubu has not, for once, found it worthy to visit any of the affected states to commiserate with the grieving citizens,” Atiku wrote.
He further condemned the President’s trip to Plateau, saying Tinubu “suddenly remembered the state, not to share in the people’s pain, but to attend a social event under the auspices of his party’s national chairman.”
Atiku said Tinubu’s decision to attend a funeral in one of Nigeria’s most terrorized regions “reflects a lack of empathy and a mockery of leadership.”
“It is a sad reflection of priorities that while families in Plateau continue to bury their loved ones, President Tinubu chose to grace a political funeral rather than stand with the people in their darkest hour,” Atiku lamented.
Atiku concluded by warning that Nigerians are taking note of the President’s actions, stating:
“The message could not be clearer: this is a President who would rather feast than feel — a leader who finds pleasure where the people find pain. The Nigerian people are watching, and they will remember.
he is right