The governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, on Monday faulted the presidential candidate of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, for not extending condolences or reaching out to him regarding the recent explosion in Ibadan.
The governor conveyed his disappointment while commending Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for his visit to the Government House in Ibadan to offer condolences for the January 16 explosion that claimed about five lives and caused extensive property damage.
Makinde noted that, of the prominent contenders in the February 2023 presidential election, both President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peter Obi have made contact regarding the incident, whereas Atiku has not called or messaged him.
“On behalf of the government and good people of Oyo State, I thank His Excellency Peter Gregory Obi, former governor of Anambra State and also the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last presidential election.
“I thank you because politics didn’t sip into this. You came here to commiserate with us over the explosion. Though investigation details are still going on, it was simply illegal miners storing explosives in an environment where they shouldn’t be. It is a place meant for people to live in not a mining site.
“So, all the lapses that allowed such to happen are being looked into. I am particularly grateful because you are three musketeers that went into that election. The president has reached out to me, you have reached out to me but my own party candidate, not even a call or a text message.
“I am saying this openly so that our leaders will know that you will have time for politics, you have time for governance and you have time for humanity. So, we want to say thank you so much sir and we appreciate this visit,” Makinde said.
During his address, Obi mentioned that he visited Ibadan to express condolences to the governor for the recent explosion. He also aimed to utilize the opportunity to provide information, through the governor, to the affected families and individuals who lost their valuable properties.
He assured them of “our prayers that God will grant all those who lost their lives eternal rest.”
The LP chieftain also thanked “the governor for his prompt response. That is what governance should be. When there is a problem like I have told him privately, he might not bring back the lost lives or replace properties that were lost, but that response gives assurances and confidence to the people that there is a government, a system that cares for them.
“So, we thank you for that response and also ensuring that a proper investigation starts in earnest and also setting up a kind of support facilities to be able to support people who are going through problems, that’s basically why we are here.”
The Ibadan explosion resulted in extensive damage to numerous houses within a 14-kilometer radius.