By Ken Afor
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has responded to the prolonged silence of the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, following a recent explosion in the state capital, Ibadan.
It would be recalled that on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, no fewer than five persons were reported to have died, with 77 others sustaining injuries in the aftermath of the explosion at Adeji, Old Bodija in Ibadan.
Makinde, while receiving the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, at his office on Monday, pointed out that Atiku has neither called nor sent a message to commiserate with the people of the state regarding the recent incident.
He criticized Atiku’s silence and urged the PDP leader to lead by example, emphasizing that the time for politics is over.
His words, “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.”
Earlier, Obi mentioned that the purpose of his visit was to extend condolences to the governor and the people of the state regarding the recent incident.
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. And we want to thank the government for its prompt response and that is what governance has to be.”
The former Anambra State Governor advocated reduction in the cost of governance at the federal level, considering it a necessary sacrifice to propel the country forward amid the current economic situation.
“All of us are now involved, and all of us should work hard and make the necessary sacrifices to see that we turn around the situation. That is why it is necessary when things happen here, and the government responds in a manner the government should respond and everybody comes to participate and commend them for doing the right thing.
“It’s a matter of sacrifice. Today, elections are over; governance is the key thing and what is required for me is to cut down on the cost of governance, especially at the federal level, it is unacceptable the way it is going, we need to prioritize critical areas such as education, health and pulling people out of poverty,” he stressed.
It would be recalled that Governor Makinde, including the immediate past Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State)
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu state) and Nyesom Wike (Rivers state) formed the G-5 Governors.
These governors refused to back Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s presidential candidate, citing their belief in the rotational presidency between the north and south.
They argued that Atiku Abubakar succeeding President Buhari after eight years would result in two consecutive northern presidents, contradicting the principles of inclusivity and rotational leadership.
The governors did not only withhold their support for their party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, during the general elections but also endorsed other candidates.
