Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has issued a stern call for President Bola Tinubu to immediately suspend his ongoing retreat in France and return to Nigeria to address the escalating security crisis that has claimed over 150 lives in just two weeks.
In a strongly-worded statement shared via his X handle on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, Obi criticized the President's absence during what he described as a period of national emergency, particularly pointing to the deteriorating security situation in Plateau and Benue states.
"Mr President, domestic problems beckon," Obi wrote. "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."
The 63-year-old former Anambra State governor highlighted the grim toll of violence during Tinubu's absence, noting that over 150 Nigerians have lost their lives to insecurity, with Plateau and Zamfara states being particularly hard-hit. Obi also pointed to renewed insurgency in Borno State where both troops and civilians are being "killed randomly," as well as ongoing violence and abductions in the South East.
Likening Tinubu to a "retreating CEO far from the headquarters of his failing company," Obi questioned the purpose of conducting strategic planning in peaceful France while Nigeria bleeds. "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 stated.
President Tinubu left for his "working visit" to France on April 2, 2025, reportedly to review his administration's midterm performance and plan strategically ahead of its second anniversary. However, during his absence, Nigeria has experienced a disturbing surge in violence, including significant attacks in Plateau State that prompted a statement from the President on Monday through his special adviser, Bayo Onanuga.
Obi, who recently visited victims of attacks in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, described the killings as "senseless" and unacceptable in a nation not officially at war. He urged immediate presidential action, concluding: "I therefore 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 the nation seeks."
