Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has advised former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi to avoid politicizing recent stampede tragedies in Nigeria, which claimed dozens of lives.
Omokri described such actions as exploiting human suffering for political gain.
The tragedies occurred at food distribution events in Okija, Anambra State, and Maitama, Abuja, leaving about 39 people dead.
This followed a similar incident in Ibadan, where 35 children reportedly lost their lives during a Christmas fair.
Obi, in a post on his X account, attributed the Ibadan tragedy to “systemic failures” in the nation and called for leaders to address poverty, inequality, and public safety at mass gatherings.
Omokri, however, accused Obi of insensitivity, arguing that instead of using the incident to criticize the government, he should have expressed sympathy and refrained from politicizing the issue.
“Rather than empathizing with grieving families, Mr. Obi has chosen to score political points. One would have expected him to offer condolences and move on,” Omokri said.
He added that similar stampedes occur globally, including in nations like the US and South Korea, and pointed out that a similar incident in Anambra State in 2013, during Obi’s tenure as governor, resulted in 28 deaths.
Omokri claimed Obi was directly accused of triggering that stampede.
Omokri also criticized Obi’s leadership record, alleging that poverty in Anambra State increased significantly during his tenure, citing claims by Obi’s successors.
Following Omokri’s remarks, Obi deleted his original post and later issued a revised statement expressing condolences for the victims of the recent stampedes.
Meanwhile, Omokri called on state governments to implement better crowd management strategies to prevent future tragedies.
(Politicsngr)