Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Monday claimed that the Presidential Candidate of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Alhaji 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.
Recall that 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.
He spoke at his office in Ibadan while receiving the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi.
The Governor said that out of the three major candidates who contested the 2023 presidential election, only Atiku was 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 said his visit to Ibadan was to pay condolence to Makinde and the people of Oyo State over the explosion.
He 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.” he stated