President Bola Tinubu did not demonstrate good leadership when he whined about the poor roads leading to the violence-wracked Yelewata in Benue, says Peter Obi.

“One of the consistent principles of leadership is the willingness to make ultimate sacrifices and take risks. A true leader does not make excuses or complain; he shows up, sacrifices, and provides solutions, especially in difficult times,” the Labour Party’s former presidential candidate said in a statement on Thursday.

He added, “Leadership is not about comfort; it is about sacrifice. It is about standing with your people, especially in moments of pain and tragedy. You cannot abandon your citizens in their hour of need. You don’t offer excuses when action is required.”

Previously, Mr Obi praised the president’s decision to go to the troubled area.

Mr Tinubu had embarked on an unscheduled trip to Benue after global outrage greeted the carnage visited on Yelewata by suspected herdsmen. But the president refused to go beyond Makurdi, the capital of Benue.

“I aborted my journey to Yelewate because of the rains, flood and bad roads. Particularly seeing the ruin and carnage is sad enough,” the Nigerian leader explained.

Mr Obi, the president’s political nemesis, reasoned that Mr Tinubu could have made a sacrifice to visit the mournful town instead of giving an excuse.

“While I do not advocate for our president to expose himself to monumental risks, I cannot accept the excuse that bad roads prevented him from reaching Yelwata in Benue State—especially after he had already made it to the state,” said the former Anambra governor. “This visit happened days after the massacre, with enough time to plan appropriately.”

Mr Obi pointed out that “even if we accept that the roads were truly impassable—which they are not, as presidential aides and staff managed to navigate them—what happened to the use of helicopters?”

He added, “Are we saying a nation that boasts of a presidential air fleet could not airlift the president to Yelwata to condole with grieving citizens? Who is responsible for fixing the roads if not the state and federal governments? If the commander-in-chief cannot reach a part of his own country due to bad roads, what hope is there for the ordinary Nigerian who plies those same routes every day?”

Over a hundred Benue residents were killed last week after heavily armed attackers invaded the Yelewata community, a situation Mr Tinubu’s government blamed on Governor Hyacinth Alia’s alleged failure to act on a detailed security report on his desk.