“Peter Obi Blasts President Tinubu’s ‘Agbada of Celebration’ during Visit to Grieving Benue”

A political storm erupted this week as Peter Obi, former Labour Party presidential candidate, fiercely criticised President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Benue State, a region recently devastated by brutal attacks.

The controversy stemmed not from the president’s words but from his appearance.

Obi lashed out at what he described as a glaring show of insensitivity, claiming Tinubu had chosen to wear a grand celebratory agbada to a community shrouded in mourning.

“The President arrived not in mourning cloth but in celebratory agbada attire, like it was an occasion for joy,” Obi remarked pointedly, sparking heated debate across political circles and social media platforms.

Benue has been grappling with fresh waves of violence, as over 150 innocent residents of Yelewata and its surrounding communities fell victim to a deadly attack reportedly carried out by armed herders.

Families are grieving, survivors remain displaced, and tension hangs thick in the air.

Many Nigerians had hoped Tinubu’s long-awaited visit would bring genuine empathy and swift action. Instead, Obi argued, it seemed to offer hollow symbolism.

Images of Tinubu’s visit quickly circulated online, showing the president stepping off his convoy in full agbada regalia, accompanied by a large entourage.

Critics seized on these visuals, claiming they painted a disturbing picture of a leader disconnected from the suffering of his people.

For Obi, this was a blatant failure in leadership optics. In moments of national grief, appearance matters.

To show up in attire reserved for celebration, not condolence, is to misread the room—and mislead the people.

Obi’s sharp critique adds to growing dissatisfaction with the administration’s handling of escalating insecurity across the nation.

In Benue alone, thousands remain in overcrowded IDP camps, with little hope of returning to their ancestral lands anytime soon.

Many residents now fear that government promises of justice and peace will dissolve into the usual empty rhetoric. Tinubu’s visit was supposed to offer reassurance. Instead, it opened another front in the battle for public perception.

Observers argue that Obi’s comment is more than just a jab at fashion; it speaks to a larger crisis of empathy within the political elite.

The Nigerian public is watching closely, weary of performative governance and yearning for authentic leadership. Tinubu’s agbada, in this instance, became a potent symbol of that disconnect—a garment that said more than any speech.

As debate rages on, calls are growing louder for real action: the swift arrest of perpetrators, greater protection for vulnerable communities, and tangible support for those who have lost everything. Whether the president can move beyond the spectacle and deliver meaningful results remains to be seen.

For now, the image of a leader wrapped in festive cloth amid grief-stricken citizens lingers, fanning the flames of public outrage.