SDP’s Adebayo Blasts Tinubu Over Skipping Yelwata Visit, Says Excuse of Bad Roads Unacceptable
The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 general elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has strongly criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for failing to personally visit Yelwata in Benue State following the recent massacre that claimed numerous lives.
A Channels Television programme aired on Friday morning, Adebayo condemned the President’s justification for avoiding the violence hit town. Tinubu, during his visit to the Benue State capital, Makurdi, on June 18, had explained that he cancelled his planned stop at Yelwata due to adverse weather conditions, flooding, and the poor state of the roads.
Reacting to this, Adebayo said such a reason was insufficient for a sitting President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
“The President ought to have made it to Yelwata despite the obstacles,” Adebayo stated. “As Commander-in-Chief, there should be no part of Nigeria that is inaccessible to you, especially when lives have just been brutally taken. People still live there. They deserve to be seen and heard.”
He further criticised the tone and atmosphere of the President’s visit, saying it came across more as a political rally than a condolence mission. He noted that the gravity of the incident should have warranted a more solemn, empathetic response from Nigeria’s number one citizen.
“This was not just any other visit,” Adebayo said. “Even during the civil war, if 200 people were killed at once, it would have made national headlines. The President should have carried himself as the chief mourner, offering consolation in words and presence, not political gestures.”
The Yelwata community in Benue State was attacked on the night of Friday, June 14, allegedly by armed herders. The state government confirmed 59 fatalities, but civil society organizations insist the death toll could be closer to 200. Over 3,000 residents have reportedly been displaced in the wake of the bloodshed.
International attention has been drawn to the tragic event. Pope Leo XIV issued a statement condemning the “horrific killings” and urging for immediate measures to halt the violence and restore peace in the region.
Despite President Tinubu’s visit to Makurdi and his meeting with victims in the hospital, many Nigerians and observers believe the gesture fell short due to his absence from the actual site of the carnage.
Adebayo concluded by emphasizing the need for national leaders to demonstrate genuine compassion and proactive leadership, especially in times of communal tragedy.
