Peter Obi lambasted President Bola Tinubu for turning his Benue condolence visit into a “fanfare,” citing inappropriate attire and state organised reception

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Benue Visit Controversy has intensified after Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, publicly lambasted President Bola Tinubu.

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Obi accused the President of turning his condolence visit to Benue State into a “fanfare,” a stark contrast to the solemnity required by recent tragedies. He expressed his disapproval in a post on his X handle on Thursday.

Obi particularly criticised the President’s choice of Agbada attire and the overall atmosphere surrounding the visit. He argued that such an elaborate display contradicted the gravity of the tragedies that had recently struck both Benue and Niger states.

Obi maintained that the President should have appeared in mourning clothes rather than his usual Agbada regalia, considering the dire situation on the ground.

“What we saw in Benue visit was instead of a solemn, reflective visit, a display that would have been more befitting for the commissioning of the reconstructed Enugu Makurdi highway, a critical road connecting South and Northern Nigeria, which had become impassable for years,” Obi stated.

He reiterated, “The President arrived not in mourning cloth but in celebratory agbada attire, like it were an occasion for joy.”

Obi also strongly criticised Governor Hyacinth Alia’s decision to line up students and mourning parents in the rain to welcome the President.

He contended that these individuals should have remained in their homes to mourn their deceased neighbours instead. He highlighted the heartbreaking nature of the state’s involvement.

“Even more heartbreaking is the role of the State,” Obi lamented.

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“Rather than being in a mourning mood and weeping, the state declared a public holiday, not for reflection or prayer, but to organise fanfare. Schools were shut down. Children who should be mourning their slaughtered classmates, and parents, were instead lined up under the rain, rehearsed to sing and dance for the President. In what kind of country does this happen?” Obi questioned, underscoring his deep concern over the perceived insensitivity of the event.