Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has berated President Bola Tinubu over his recent visit to Plateau State, describing it as a “heartless exhibition of misplaced priorities” and evidence that the plight of ordinary Nigerians is not a priority for his administration.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Saturday, Atiku condemned the President’s decision to attend a social event in Plateau — one of the states worst hit by violent attacks in the North Central region — while failing to visit communities ravaged by insecurity and terror.
“With large swathes of the country still under siege from unrelenting insecurity and thousands of innocent lives lost, it is deeply unfortunate that President Tinubu has not, for once, found it worthy to visit any of the affected states to commiserate with grieving citizens,” Atiku said.
He noted that the President’s trip to Plateau was not to console bereaved families or stand in solidarity with victims, but to attend a private political event organised by the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“It is a sad reflection of priorities and a glaring mockery of leadership that while families in Plateau continue to bury their loved ones, President Tinubu chose to grace a political funeral rather than stand with the people in their darkest hour,” he stated.
Atiku further criticised both the President and the APC national leadership for what he called “a shocking display of insensitivity and disregard for empathy, compassion, and the dignity of human life.”
He lamented that despite the escalating violence in the North Central region — from Benue and Niger to Kwara — the APC-led government has consistently failed to show solidarity with the victims, either through visits or direct support.
“At no time has this government deemed it necessary to physically stand by the victims or console their families,” the former Vice President said. “Even when Tinubu made a symbolic visit to Benue State in June, he never bothered to set foot in Yelewata — the epicentre of the massacre — preferring instead to end his trip comfortably in Makurdi.”
Atiku accused the President of choosing political festivities over national empathy, saying the visit to Plateau was another reminder that the administration prioritises party interests over human suffering.
“Now again, he is in Plateau State, not to console the bereaved or reassure the broken, but to celebrate and make merry with his party elite while the people mourn. The message could not be clearer: this is a President who would rather feast than feel — a leader who finds pleasure where the people find pain,” Atiku declared.
He concluded by warning that Nigerians are taking note of the administration’s perceived indifference to their suffering and will remember when it matters most.
“The Nigerian people are watching — and they will remember,” he said.
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