Benue massacre: Adebayo pick holes on Tinubu’s visit

Prince Adewole Adebayo, Leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its 2023 presidential candidate, has expressed disappointment with the way and manner President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Benue State over the recent killing by the Fulani militant group was trivialised and reduced to politics.

Insisting that Nigerians must be serious with the way they tackle important issues, condemned Tinubu’s Benue town hall meeting during the visit as sickening.

Writing in his official X handle, he said: “Our entire governmental doctrine and leadership mentality in Nigeria needs a thorough revamp, and our people desperately need mental liberation. How could the emphasis be on the 2027 election and little on the sadistic massacre?”

He took exception to President Tinubu’s emphasis on his sacrifice to visit Benue instead of addressing the leadership lapses that led to such wanton destruction of innocent lives.

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He said: “The bulk of the speech is on the sacrifice @officialABAT had to make to promptly respond to the killing, instead of critical questions about the failure of leadership and breach of the constitutional duty to secure the citizens. No observer would believe that the people of this great state have just suffered a dastardly and gruesome massacre merely a few days ago.”

He also condemned the traditional rulers in the affected area for their insensitivity to the plight of their subjects. He noted that rather than grieve over the unfortunate incident, the traditional rulers were busy endorsing Tinubu for a second term in 2027.

“That the traditional rulers felt that they had to pledge their ‘massive support’ for @officialABAT in the 2027 election on this sombre occasion is both pathetic and undignified. I could not believe my eyes and ears.

“The political elite’s deterioration seems irredeemable. A new direction is inevitable; May God help Nigeria. We need to bid farewell to poverty and insecurity in Nigeria,” he stated.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.