Peter Obi tackles Tinubu over ‘long convoy’

Former Anambra state governor and Labour Party's 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on Tuesday, criticised the President, Bola Tinubu for his “long convoy” in Lagos.

Mr Tinubu’s convoy, which had over 100 vehicles, was seen in a video– that went viral–from the airport to his home town in Ikoyi.

The president arrived in Lagos from London, where he went on a private visit after attending the signing of a New Global Financial Pact with other global leaders in Paris, France.

He visited the state to celebrate last Thursday’s Sallah, where he was joined by hundreds of other Muslims to say the Eid prayer at the Obalende Eid Prayer Ground in Lagos.

Many Nigerians expressed their outrage over the “long convoy”, with some accusing the president of being extravagant.

Reacting, Peter Obi said The president, Tinubu, and other Nigerian leaders must lead the country by example, stressing that it was inappropriate for the president to use the “long convoy” while Nigerians “battled with suffering”.

“I’ve been asked questions related to cutting down the cost of governance and the complaints by Nigerians concerning a trending motorcade video. I wasn’t opportune to see the video, but I will repeat what I said,” he wrote on his Twitter handle on Friday.

“The present Nigeria requires that all those who serve and lead must do so by example. Their behaviour, character and public conduct (of those who serve) must be in consonance with what society requires today,” Obi stated

Interestingly, Mr Obi made a similar comment on Thursday in Awka, when he was asked about his views on the long convoy of the president.

“You cannot continue to preach to people to sacrifice without sacrificing. The sacrifice must start now from the leaders, visibly, measurably at all times, because the people are suffering, and we must now be at the forefront of addressing the suffering,” Mr Obi further wrote, repeating the exact words he used in the video clip.

The comment that "leaders must make sacrifices" came days after Mr Tinubu called on Nigerians to make sacrifices for the prosperity of the country.