The Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called on President Bola Tinubu to halt his current retreat in France and return to Nigeria immediately to address the growing security crisis.
The appeal was made via Peter Obi’s official X account on Wednesday, amidst escalating violence and communal clashes in the country.
Peter Obi highlighted the seriousness of the security situation, citing the deaths of over 150 Nigerians in the past two weeks, particularly in Plateau and Zamfara states.
He also mentioned the insurgency in Borno State, the rising incidents of killings and abductions in the Southeast, and the recent pipeline explosions in the Niger Delta.
The former governor of Anambra State stressed that President Tinubu’s extended stay in France would only exacerbate the crisis.
Peter Obi urged Tinubu to cut short his foreign trip, originally described by the Presidency as a “working visit,” in response to widespread criticism.
The Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, had previously denied claims by activist Omoyele Sowore that the trip was for medical treatment.
In Obi’s words;
“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 requires that he immediately suspend his ongoing retreat in a foreign land and come home to address the overwhelming security situation across the country.”
“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. 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 Southeast, the story is the same: killings and abductions. Amid all these, the CEO of the troubled company called Nigeria is retreating to a faraway land in France from the company’s headquarters.”
“I, therefore, urge Mr. President to quickly suspend whatever he is doing in France and return home to take responsibility by addressing these disturbing issues. That is the new Nigeria that the nation seeks.”
The President, who left Nigeria on April 2, is expected to return in about two weeks, according to his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga.
