Political Fury: Atiku Slams Tinubu's 'Heartless' Plateau 'Funeral' Visit

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Saturday strongly criticized President Bola Tinubu's decision to attend the funeral of Mama Lydia Yilwatda Goshwe, mother of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, in Jos, the Plateau State capital. Atiku, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), contended that President Tinubu should have prioritized visiting and commiserating with victims of the pervasive banditry attacks in Plateau State instead of attending a social event.

In a statement shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Atiku highlighted a perceived pattern of disregard for the plight of citizens affected by insecurity. He noted, "With large swathes of the country still under siege from unrelenting insecurity and thousands of innocent lives lost, it is deeply unfortunate that President Bola Tinubu has not, for once, found it worthy to visit any of the affected states to commiserate with the grieving citizens." The former Vice President expressed disappointment that Tinubu's visit to Plateau, one of the most terrorized parts of the North-Central, was for a "political funeral" rather than to "share in the people’s pain."

Atiku lambasted the President's actions as "a sad reflection of priorities and a glaring mockery of leadership," stating that "while families in Plateau continue to bury their loved ones, President Tinubu chose to grace a political funeral rather than stand with the people in their darkest hour." The funeral was also attended by other prominent figures including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, and Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang.

Plateau State has been grappling with recurrent and brutal banditry attacks, which frequently target rural communities, often at night. These attacks involve the use of guns and machetes, burning of houses, abduction of residents, and widespread mass displacement. Numerous villages have been deserted, forcing survivors to seek refuge in towns, churches, and makeshift camps. While there is no definitive death toll, Amnesty International estimated that approximately 2,630 people were killed in Plateau State between 2023 and 2025, a figure that the Defence Headquarters has disputed. The insecurity has regrettably extended to other parts of the North-Central region, with Kwara State, for instance, witnessing an attack in September where forest guards were killed and residents abducted in the Oke-Ode community.

Describing President Tinubu’s choice as "heartless and insensitive," Atiku further remarked, "Between the APC National Chairman and his President, what we witnessed today is a heartless exhibition of disregard for empathy, compassion, and the dignity of human life." He accused the President of abandoning victims of insecurity across several North-Central states, including Benue, Niger, and Kwara, which have "endured some of the most horrific waves of violence in recent history."

Atiku also recalled a past "symbolic visit" by Tinubu to Benue State in June, where he allegedly "never bothered to set foot in Yelewata, the epicentre of the massacre," instead concluding his trip in Makurdi. He asserted that the President's current visit to Plateau was "not to console the bereaved or reassure the broken, but to celebrate and make merry with his party elite while the people mourn." Atiku concluded with a stern message: "The message could not be clearer: this is a president who would rather feast than feel—a leader who finds pleasure where the people find pain. The Nigerian people are watching, and they will remember."