Ibadan Blast: Atiku, Makinde Rekindle Presidential Election Battle

Months after the end of the 2023 presidential election, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state and Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the election has re-enacted the battle. 

The governor on Monday stirred the hornets next after he accused the PDP candidate of not empathizing with the people of the state after the January 16 explosion in Ibadan, the state capital. 

The governor made the remark during a visit by Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, to the Agodi Government House.

The governor said the PDP presidential candidate was trying to politicize the bloody blast which killed at least five persons, injured 77 and destroyed 58 houses in the Old Bodija area of the state.

Makinde Remarked: “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.”

Reacting, Atiku said he had condoled with the state immediately after the blast. He was short of describing Makinde as a mischief-maker. 

In a statement issued by one of his media aides, Paul Ibe, the former number three citizens said the governor has lost touch with what is happening, not to have noticed his statement empathizing with the state within “24 hours of its occurrence”.

Atiku said, “With due respect to Governor Seyi Makinde, we wish to correct his expression about the response of His Excellency Atiku Abubakar to the recent explosion in the city of Ibadan.

“Atiku Abubakar made a condolence message about the Ibadan explosion, less than 24 hours of its occurrence, where he shared his commiseration and empathy with the good people and government of Oyo State over the incident.

“Perhaps the Governor has been too busy to take track of media reports on the incident. But we wish to put on record that on the 17th of January, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar did make a widely available message on the Ibadan incident.”

Not a few watching the brickbats between the two politicians, described it as an extension of the last presidential election.

Recall that as a member of the G5, a group of  PDP governors that refused to support Atiku, Governor Makinde and four other governors worked for Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the opposition candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who later won the election.

The group led by Nyesom Wike, a former governor of Rivers state refused to back Atiku for the election, insisting that power must shift to the south. Others in the G5 include former Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu State) Governor Samuel Ortom (Benue), Governor Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State).

Atiku blamed Makinde and other four governors for the historic loss.