Peter Obi Commends Tinubu’s Planned Visit To Benue, Urges Him To Also Visit Niger Flood Victims

Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has reacted to President Bola Tinubu’s decision to visit Benue State following the massacre of over 200 residents last weekend.

Tinubu, while commissioning the Greater Abuja Water Supply Project on Monday, expressed sympathy with the people of Benue and announced a change to his schedule to allow a visit to the troubled state. According to his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, the President postponed his Kaduna trip to personally assess the devastation in Benue.

In a statement, Obi described the decision as “refreshing” and praised the President for finally acknowledging the scale of the tragedy.

“For this, I thank him,” Obi said, “even as I make a further request that a similar gesture be extended to Niger State, which recently lost more lives to a natural disaster.”

The former Anambra governor stressed that the President’s physical presence in Benue and other affected areas would offer reassurance to grieving communities.

Obi reminded the public that both Benue and Niger States have each lost over 200 lives in recent weeks — Benue to armed violence, and Niger, specifically Mokwa, to catastrophic flooding that has left more than 1,000 people missing.

“These are not just statistics,” he said. “They are Nigerian families torn apart and communities completely devastated.”

He called on Tinubu to visit Mokwa in Niger State as a powerful gesture that “all Nigerian lives matter, and that no community — no matter how rural — is forgotten.”

Obi also urged the President to strengthen security nationwide, especially in areas vulnerable to disasters and attacks.