Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, has accused President Bola Tinubu of placing foreign engagements above pressing domestic challenges.
The former governor of Anambra State made the remarks in a statement posted on X page on Sunday.
He described January as “a distressing month” that revealed how quickly conditions in the country are worsening.
Obi said insecurity escalated across Nigeria during the month, with reports of killings and “hundreds of kidnappings and abductions”, as abductors demanded millions in ransom.
He added that many farmers remain unable to return to their farms because of persistent violence, deepening food shortages and rural poverty.
“Education stands as a cornerstone of national development, yet countless children remain out of school and those in school cannot attend because of insecurity or teachers’ strikes,” he wrote.
“This is particularly tragic in Abuja, the seat of government, where schools remain shuttered.”
He criticised the spending priorities of the government, saying Abuja is “the same Abuja where billions were squandered on renovating a conference centre for the president and Bus Terminals”.
“One must question whether our leaders genuinely appreciate the vital role of education,” he added.
Obi also pointed to Nigeria’s power crisis, noting that the national grid collapsed twice in January.
He faulted Tinubu’s travel pattern, arguing that while leaders elsewhere focus on domestic governance at the start of the year, Nigeria’s president has prioritised trips abroad.
“This month, he spent 23 days abroad across two trips — beginning the year overseas and returning on the 17th, and departing less than 10 days on the 26th to Türkiye, where he remains as of January 31,” Obi wrote.
“What urgent matters continuously warrant his absence from the nation?
Obi said Tinubu often appears to return only briefly “to welcome defectors into the APC before he jets off again”.
He warned that “the collective impact of these events paints a grim portrait of a nation grappling simultaneously with insecurity, economic distress, failing infrastructure, and profound social upheaval”.
The ex-governor accused the political class, especially the All Progressives Congress (APC), of focusing on election calculations instead of governance.
“Instead of confronting these urgent challenges head-on in pursuit of solutions, much of the political class remains engrossed in power calculations and the next election cycle,” he said.
“The ruling APC, in particular, seems more concerned with rallies and welcoming defectors than with visiting failing institutions or addressing the daily struggles of the Nigerian people.”
