Former Vice President and 2023 PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticized President Bola Tinubu for visiting Plateau State on Saturday, October 4, to attend the funeral of Mama Lydia Yilwatda, mother of APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, instead of showing solidarity with victims of persistent violence in the region.
In a post on his official X handle, Atiku described the President’s visit as “a sad reflection of priorities and a mockery of leadership,” noting that Tinubu had yet to visit Plateau or other conflict-hit states to commiserate with victims of insecurity.
“With large swathes of the country still under siege from unrelenting insecurity and thousands of innocent lives lost, it is deeply unfortunate that President Bola Tinubu has not, for once, found it worthy to visit any of the affected states to commiserate with the grieving citizens,” Atiku wrote.
He added, “Today, however, the President suddenly remembered Plateau State—not to share in the people’s pain, but to attend a social event under the auspices of his party’s national chairman.”
Atiku accused the President and APC leadership of showing a “heartless disregard for empathy, compassion, and the dignity of human life,” especially in light of the ongoing violence in the North Central states of Benue, Niger, Kwara, and Plateau.
He also referenced Tinubu’s June visit to Benue, where the President reportedly avoided Yelewata—the epicentre of a major attack—and remained in Makurdi instead.
“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,” Atiku said.
Concluding his statement, Atiku warned that Nigerians are watching and will remember the President’s actions, saying Tinubu “would rather feast than feel—a leader who finds pleasure where the people find pain.”
