Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to end his foreign retreat in France and return to Nigeria to urgently address the nation’s escalating security crisis.
In a message posted via his 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, Obi expressed concern over the increasing wave of violence and insecurity, describing the country as being in a state of distress due to a “glaring absence of governance.”
The former Anambra State governor highlighted that more than 150 Nigerians have been killed within the past two weeks, particularly in states like Plateau and Zamfara. He questioned the president’s decision to remain abroad while citizens are losing their lives.
Obi’s post read in part:
“Mr. President, Domestic problems Beacons.”
He continued:
“I am compelled at this time in our lives as a nation to call on our retreating President’s attention to the security challenges at home, which entails that he immediately suspend his ongoing retreat in a foreign land and come home to address the overwhelming security situation across the country.”
He cited various security concerns, including repeated pipeline explosions in the Niger Delta, a resurgence of insurgency in Borno State, and widespread killings and abductions in the South East. According to Obi, such events paint a grim picture of a nation struggling to maintain order.
“Amid all these, the CEO of the troubling company called Nigeria is retreating [in a] far away land in France from the Company’s headquarters,” he stated.
Reaffirming his position that leadership should be about protecting lives and ensuring peace, Obi questioned the appropriateness of President Tinubu attending a retreat in a country that already enjoys internal stability.
“The primary duty of any government is securing the lives and property of its citizens and one wonders the type of retreat going on in another country where peace has been secured by their leaders while blood continues to flow in our country.”
He concluded with a strong appeal for Tinubu to return home and take charge:
“The fight for a better Nigeria is not about individuals; it is about ensuring that every citizen can see, feel, and benefit from the policies and decisions of those in power. I, therefore like to urge Mr President to quickly suspend whatever he is doing in France and rush home to take responsibility by addressing these disturbing issues.”
“That is the new Nigeria that the nation seeks.”
