Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, says the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, has not called or sent a message to him to commiserate with the people of the state over the recent explosion in Ibadan, the state capital.
No fewer than five people were confirmed dead while 77 were injured in the explosion which occurred in the Bodija area of Ibadan on January 16, 2024.
Speaking while receiving the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, at his office in Ibadan on Monday, January 29, Makinde said out of the three major candidates who contested the 2023 presidential election, only Atiku has yet to call him on the incident.
He said: “Let me use this opportunity to thank the former Governor of Anambra and presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, for the visit. I thank him because politics didn’t seep into this. You came here to commiserate with us over the explosion.
“Investigation is going on. It was simply illegal miners storing explosives in an environment where they shouldn’t be. It is a place where it’s meant for people to live in. It’s not a mining site. So, all the lapses that allowed such to happen have been looked into.
“I am particularly grateful because the musketeers that went for the presidential election have reached out to me. The president has called me, you have reached out to me, but my own party candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has not called or even sent a text message.
“And I am saying it openly, so that our leaders will know that there is time for politics, you have a time for governance and you have a time for humanity.
“So, we want to say thank you so much, sir. We appreciate this visit.”
Obi, on his part, said his visit to Ibadan was to pay condolence to Makinde and the people of Oyo State over the explosion.
Obi said: “Through the governor, we want to extend our condolences to the bereaved families and to all those who lost their valuable property in the incident and to assure them of our prayers that God will grant those who lost their lives eternal rest.
“We also want to thank the government for its prompt response and that is what governance has to be.”
A check revealed that Atiku, a former Vice President, commiserated with the people and government of Oyo State over the explosion on his X handle on January 17.
He wrote: “I wish to express my condolences to the good people and government of Oyo State over the explosion that rocked the capital city of Ibadan late yesterday night.
“While the government continues to provide humanitarian support to victims of the explosion, I commiserate with the families of those who might have lost their lives and property to the explosion.”
It would be recalled that Makinde, a member of the G5 or the Integrity Group in the PDP, worked against Atiku in the February 25, 2023, presidential election, and supported Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a southern candidate, who eventually emerged as the winner of the poll.
