Peter Obi, the political nemesis of Bola Tinubu, has slammed the president as a phoney leader who lacks competence, character, capacity, and compassion.

“Sadly, the evidence is right before our eyes. Recently, we witnessed severe flooding in Niger State that claimed nearly 200 lives, with many still missing. Yet, not even a single presidential visit, this, in a nation where the scene of the tragedy is less than an hour away by helicopter.

“Just days ago, over 200 Nigerians, innocent men, women, children, and even soldiers were massacred in Benue State. Again, no presidential visit. No physical presence at the scenes of pain. No genuine national mourning. No leadership face to comfort the grieving or give hope to the people,” the 2023 presidential standard-bearer said in a statement on Monday. 

The president’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, did not immediately respond to a request for comments.

His attack on Mr Tinubu came in the wake of a violent attack on the people of Benue that left at least 200 murdered in a midnight raid by armed bandits suspected to be herdsmen. 

He explained that leadership is not only about holding political office or position but about showing up when it matters to the needs of the people. 

“It’s in this line that I have always maintained that we must move away from voting based on tribe and religion, and begin to vote for people with competence, capacity, character, and compassion, because we have all seen, painfully, what leadership without these qualities has done to our country,” Mr Obi noted. “Competence because Nigeria today needs a leader who understands the issues, who has the knowledge, experience, and clear ideas to solve them. Capacity because it is not a ceremonial position; it requires strength, stamina, and the mental energy to confront our complex challenges.”

The Labour Party politician added, “And above all, leadership must be rooted in character and integrity because without integrity, public trust collapses, corruption thrives, and selfishness takes over. But perhaps most importantly, we need compassion, because when a leader lacks compassion, human lives are treated as statistics, and suffering is ignored.”

The former Anambra governor condemned Mr Tinubu for not showing empathy and visiting the affected states of Niger and Benue, where dozens of lives and properties were lost to the flood disasters and attacks. 

The politician compared Mr Tinubu with other leaders, most especially the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, who personally visited disaster sites within hours to identify with the people. 

“In India, after a plane crash killed nearly 200 people, the Prime Minister was physically at the scene within hours. In South Africa, when floods claimed 78 lives, the president went personally to the affected communities, stood with them, and took responsibility.

“That is leadership with compassion. That is leadership that understands the value of human life. But here in Nigeria, we have normalised leadership without empathy, without accountability, and without a human face,” Mr Obi stated.

He added, “That is why I insist: Nigeria does not just need another president; Nigeria needs a leader, a leader with competence, capacity, character, and compassion. Until we choose leaders on these principles, the cycle of pain will only continue.”