Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has called out his party’s former presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar for not reaching out to him personally to commiserate with the state following the explosion that occurred in the Bodija area.
At least five persons died, 77 injured and several properties were destroyed in the January 16 blast.
Makinde said on Monday when the Labour Party’s former presidential candidate Peter Obi paid him a solidarity visit that political leaders must know when to separate humanity from politics.
“There were three musketeers that went out for that election. The president (Bola Tinubu) has reached out to me, you have reached out to me, but my own party’s candidate has not even made a call, not even a text message,” he said.
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“I am saying it openly so that our leaders will know that there is time for politics and governance, and also time for humanity.”
Mr Obi was accompanied to the governor’s office by the co-founder of Bring Back Our Girls Movement (BBOG) Aisha Yesufu.
On January 17, Atiku tweeted: “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.”
Makinde did not give full support to Atiku in the build-up to the election last year. The Oyo governor was part of several governors who withheld their support over claims that they believed a southerner should be the party’s presidential candidate.
Atiku was subsequently defeated at the presidential poll in Oyo State by President Bola Tinubu, who was at the time the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
