The Presidency has lashed out at Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, over his criticism of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent visit to Saint Lucia, describing his remarks as “misleading, insincere, and empty rhetoric.”
Obi had faulted President Tinubu’s official trip to the Caribbean nation amid reports of deadly flooding in Minna, Niger State, which allegedly claimed over 200 lives and left many missing. He accused the president of abandoning pressing domestic issues in favour of what he termed a “leisure trip.”
However, in a swift rebuttal, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Engagement, Mr. Fredrick Nwabufo, dismissed Obi’s criticism as a desperate attempt to remain relevant by politicising serious matters of state.
According to Nwabufo, the visit to Saint Lucia was a strategic foreign policy move aimed at strengthening diplomatic and economic relations between Nigeria and the Caribbean.
He noted that Saint Lucia hosts the headquarters of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and plays a pivotal role in Nigeria’s renewed diplomatic outreach to the region.
“Peter Obi continues to pollute public discourse with empty rhetoric devoid of substance. His remarks are merely headline-grabbing performances designed for political showmanship,” Nwabufo said in a statement.
He further stated that President Tinubu’s foreign policy agenda is positioning Nigeria for enhanced leadership across Africa and the global stage, noting that the visit marks a new chapter in purposeful engagement with Africa’s diaspora and strategic allies.
Nwabufo also claimed that Nigerians and Africans in the diaspora have welcomed the visit as a sign of Nigeria’s reemergence on the world stage under Tinubu’s leadership.
“The President’s broad-minded and enlightened leadership at home is colouring the grey canvas of global disinterestedness. His administration is restoring global confidence in Nigeria through effective domestic governance and smart international diplomacy,” he added.
He warned public figures, including Obi, to avoid trivialising matters of national interest for political gain, especially at a time when the country needs unity and focused leadership.
The altercation is the latest in the series of verbal sparring between the Tinubu administration and the opposition Labour Party, as the debate over the government’s priorities and leadership style continues to stir national discourse.
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