The Presidency has criticised former presidential candidate Peter Obi for questioning President Bola Tinubu’s decision not to visit Yelewata, a community in Guma LGA, Benue State, following recent deadly attacks.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, described Obi as an “internally displaced politician” and claimed that social critic Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, demonstrated more empathy by personally visiting the crisis-hit area.
“VeryDarkMan has more empathy than Peter Obi. He’s not a politician, but he was in Benue. Why does [Obi] have to wait until he becomes president before he gets to Benue? Empathy is personal,” Bwala stated.
Bwala said the president had to prioritise several pressing national matters, adding that presence alone doesn’t equate to leadership.
“If the president were to be physically in Yelewata, would it have made the difference that he was in Benue?” he asked.
He accused Obi and other opposition figures of being politically opportunistic.
“This rhetoric of Peter Obi and the opposition is neither here nor there. They lack basic things to talk about… The shifting of goalposts is one of the elements you’ll find in these internally displaced politicians.”
Bwala defends Tinubu
Responding to Obi’s remarks that Tinubu was more focused on commissioning projects than consoling victims, Bwala invoked constitutional backing.
“If he understands leadership or even knows the constitution, he would know that under Section 5, the president exercises that power through the Vice President, ministers, and agency heads.”
Bwala noted that key security officials had already visited crisis zones as representatives of the President.
“The NSA, military officers, and intelligence officers have all been to these places.
“These individuals are representatives of Mr President, except he doesn’t know what Section 5 is,” he said.
