Photo: Mr Peter Obi
By: Mandy Park
Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has again criticised President Bola Tinubu over his frequent foreign travels, accusing him of leaving the country without firm leadership at a critical moment in its history.
In a statement posted on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday, February 1, 2026, titled “A Distressing January for Nigeria,” Obi said President Tinubu appeared more comfortable staying abroad than remaining in the country to tackle pressing national challenges.
The former two-term governor of Anambra State expressed concern that the president spent most of January outside Nigeria at a time when citizens were grappling with worsening insecurity, persistent power outages, and severe economic hardship.
According to him, the absence of decisive leadership had further deepened the suffering of Nigerians.
Obi also criticised what he described as the president’s brief returns to the country mainly to receive politicians defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), before embarking on further foreign trips.
He urged President Tinubu and the APC to shift focus away from political calculations and future elections, and instead prioritise governance and problem-solving.
“This first month serves as a critical measure of the challenges that lie ahead, and it is painfully evident that the situation in the country continues to worsen,” Obi said.
He lamented the rise in insecurity across the country, citing reports of killings and hundreds of kidnappings in January alone, including the abduction of children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers. Obi added that many farmers remained unable to return to their farms due to insecurity, worsening food shortages and rural poverty.
On education, Obi decried the number of out-of-school children and the continued closure of schools due to insecurity and industrial actions, particularly in Abuja. He questioned government priorities, noting that schools in the Federal Capital Territory remained shut while billions of naira were spent on renovating a conference centre and bus terminals.
The former LP candidate also raised concerns over the power sector, noting that Nigeria experienced two national grid collapses in January, despite already suffering from poor electricity access and supply.
Obi further criticised the president’s travel schedule, stating that President Tinubu spent 23 days abroad in January across two foreign trips—returning to Nigeria on January 17 and leaving again on January 26 for Türkiye, where he remained as of January 31.
“While leaders in other nations prioritise domestic governance in January, Nigeria’s president prioritises international engagements over pressing national issues,” Obi said, questioning the urgency of the engagements that required the president’s prolonged absence.
He concluded that the country was facing simultaneous crises of insecurity, economic distress, failing infrastructure, and social upheaval, accusing much of the political class, particularly the ruling APC, of focusing more on rallies and defections than on addressing the daily struggles of Nigerians.
“A new Nigeria is POssible,” Obi stated.
