The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar has said he was not silent on the January 16 explosion that rocked Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Atiku was reacting to Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who remarked on Monday that he had not reached out or condoled with the government and people of the state over the tragic incident
Makinde stated this in Ibadan when a former governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last general elections, Peter Obi, paid him a condolence visit over the January 16 explosion.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Paul Ibe, on Monday night, Atiku said he had condoled with the people of the state over the incident.
“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,” Ibe said.
Atiku has blamed his defeat in the 2023 presidential election on the refusal of Makinde and four other PDP governors to support his ambition.
Makinde and the other PDP governors, known as G-5 governors, supported President Bola Tinubu in the February 25, 2023 presidential election.
