The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to cancel his planned trips to South Africa and Angola, describing the move as a hollow gesture that fails to address Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said the President’s action—taken in the wake of national outrage over the abduction of twenty-five schoolgirls in Kebbi State—amounted to “the latest and boldest example of tokenism.”
Ememobong argued that while the cancellation may appear sympathetic, it does nothing to tackle the escalating wave of kidnappings, banditry and attacks across the country.
“If the APC-led Presidency disagrees with this position, then we demand that President Tinubu temporarily relocate to Kebbi State and other theatres of armed conflict in Northern Nigeria,” he stated.
The party’s spokesman said relocating the President to areas under siege would compel security agencies to act with greater urgency while boosting the morale of troops battling criminal elements.
“As President and Commander-in-Chief, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu must not recline in the comfort of the Presidential Villa at a time when 25 schoolgirls have been abducted and their whereabouts remain unknown,” he added.
The PDP also linked recent attacks in Kwara State to what it described as the daily reality of fear endured by Nigerians nationwide, accusing the administration of responding with “outright denials, rationalised explanations, empty assurances, and other superficial gestures such as the President’s cancelled trip.”
The party reiterated its call for decisive action, insisting that symbolic gestures cannot substitute for a coherent and effective security strategy.
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