Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s attendance at the funeral event of the late Nana Lydia Yilwatda, mother of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda.
According to Atiku, Tinubu’s presence at the event, which was held in Jos, the Plateau State capital, is a testament that the President has no regard for the ordinary citizens of Nigeria.
The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a statement sent to Naijaonpoint on Saturday, said Tinubu chose to attend a social event in Plateau State but never saw it fit to commiserate with the people of the state who have been victims of recent attacks from terrorists.
According to Atiku, the APC-led government has displayed its lack of empathy for Nigerians affected by various issues of insecurity and insurgency and instead chose to make merry with political elites while the people mourn and are in pain.
He added that the Plateau event is a confirmation that there is a disconnect between Tinubu’s leadership and ordinary citizens.
The statement reads, “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.
“Today, however, the President suddenly remembered Plateau State — one of the most terrorized parts of the North Central — not to share in the people’s pain, but to attend a social event under the auspices of his party’s national chairman.
“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.
“Between the APC National Chairman and his President, what we witnessed today is a heartless exhibition of disregard for empathy, compassion, and the dignity of human life.
“From Benue to Niger and most recently Kwara, the entire North Central region has endured some of the most horrific waves of violence in recent history. Yet, not once has the APC-led government deemed it necessary to physically stand by the victims or console their families.
“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. Instead, he ended his trip comfortably in Makurdi, turning his back on the people whose tears and blood still stain the soil.
“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.
“The Nigerian people are watching — and they will remember.”
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