Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has lambasted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for failing to express empathy for either the victims of the recent explosion in Ibadan, their families, or the Oyo State government.
He said out of the three candidates in the 2023 Presidential election, only Atiku has failed to reach out or condole with the state and victims of the incident.
Makinde expressed dismay at the PDP Presidential flagbearer while receiving the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, who was on a condolence visit to him in his Agodi, Secretariat, office on Monday, January 29.
Lambasting Atiku’s lack of empathy, the governor said it was insensitive for Atiku not to offer any condolences or even acknowledge the tragedy, noting that Atiku’s silence sends a troubling message about his character and judgment.
Makinde said: “Let me use this opportunity to thank His Excellency, former governor of Anambra and Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi for the visit.”
“I thank him because politics didn’t step into this. You came here to commiserate with us over the explosion. Actually, the 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, and 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.”