Dare Babalola
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his recent visit to Jos, describing it as a “height of insensitivity and inhumanity” in the wake of deadly attacks in Plateau State.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the opposition party accused the Presidency of failing to demonstrate empathy and urgency following the killing of more than 40 people in the state.
According to the PDP, the attacks, which occurred on Palm Sunday, March 29, 2026, were initially met with silence from the Federal Government, as the Presidency reportedly did not respond publicly for over 48 hours.
The party further alleged that the administration appeared to have “glossed over” the incident until widespread public outrage compelled presidential action.
The statement noted that President Tinubu’s eventual visit to Plateau State came four days after the killings and was, in its view, reluctant and poorly handled.
It claimed that the President arrived in the evening, held a brief meeting with stakeholders and victims at the airport lounge, and departed shortly thereafter without touring affected communities.
The PDP described the conduct of the President during the visit as dismissive, alleging that his remarks about limited time and poor lighting conditions at the airport conveyed impatience and a lack of compassion for grieving victims.
According to the party, the visit failed to provide comfort or reassurance to those affected by the violence.
“This is not how to lead,” the statement declared, arguing that the President’s words and actions fell short of the expectations of national leadership during a crisis.
The opposition party further characterised the visit as “performative and superficial,” insisting that it would have been preferable for the President to remain in Abuja rather than undertake what it described as a “disgraceful display” that aggravated the pain of victims.
On the broader security situation, the PDP linked the President’s decision not to leave the airport to what it termed worsening insecurity across the country.
It argued that the inability of the President to move freely within Plateau State reflects a deeper failure of the administration’s security strategy.
The party also criticised the Federal Government’s proposed deployment of 5,000 Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras, dismissing it as an inadequate response to complex security challenges.
It described the initiative as a “simplistic” approach that cannot address the root causes of violent attacks in Plateau State and other affected regions.
The PDP called on the Federal Government to adopt what it described as a “whole-of-society” strategy to tackle insecurity. This, it said, should include stronger community engagement and more comprehensive measures aimed at addressing the underlying drivers of violence.
The statement underscores growing political tensions over the handling of security issues in Nigeria, particularly in regions that have witnessed recurring attacks and communal violence.
