Ibadan Explosion: Makinde Chides Atiku For Being “Insensitive”, Commends Peter Obi’s Visit
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has berated former vice president and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, for lacking humanity and failing to express sympathy with the government and people of the state over the recent explosion that rocked the city.
Makinde expressed surprise that Atiku did not care about the colossal loss of lives and property in the explosion, despite the magnitude of the disaster.
Makinde said President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peter Obi of LP have both reached out to commiserate with him and the people of the state except Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP.
The Governor, who expressed appreciation to Obi for making out time to visit him in Ibadan and not allowing political affiliation to supersede humanity, regretted that it was his own party’s presidential candidate that was yet to reach out to him despite being in the same party.
“I should use this opportunity on behalf of the good people of Oyo State, to thank His Excellency, Mr Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra state and also the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last election.
“I thank you because politics didn’t slip into this, you came to commiserate with us over the explosion. Actually, investigation is still going on, it was simply illegal miners storing explosives in an environment where they shouldn’t, a place where people are meant to live, it’s not a mining site.
“So, all the lapses that allowed such to happen are being looked into. I’m particularly grateful because the president called me, we have three musketeers that went for that election.
”The President has reached out to me, you have reached out to me, but my own party’s presidential candidate, not even a call or text message, I mean I’m saying this openly so that our leaders would know that, yeah, you have time for politics, you have time for governance, and you have time for humanity, so, we want to say thank you so much, we appreciate this visit,” he said.
In his brief remarks, Peter Obi commiserated with Governor Makinde and the people of Oyo State over the explosion.
The former governor of Anambra State equally sent condolences to victims and families of those who lost their lives to the tragic blast, while praying God to comfort the bereaved families.
Obi also commended Governor Makinde, for rising up swiftly and responsively to curtail the situation and showing what he said governance should be all about.
“It is necessary that when things like what happened here in Ibadan happens, and government responds in a manner they should, everybody should commend them for doing the right thing and that is what we are doing,” Obi said.
