The media aide to former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has refuted the allegation by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde that Atiku did not sympathize with the state over the recent explosion in Ibadan.
The explosion, which occurred on January 16 at Dejo Oyelese Street in Old Bodija, claimed several lives and injured many others, as well as destroyed properties worth millions of naira.
Governor Makinde, while receiving the Labour Party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi at the Governor’s Office on Monday, expressed his disappointment that Atiku, who was his party’s candidate in the last election, had not called or sent a text message to commiserate with the people and government of Oyo State.
Makinde said: “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 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.”
However, in a statement issued on Monday, Ibe said that Atiku had sent a condolence message to the people and government of Oyo State less than 24 hours after the incident, where he shared his commiseration and empathy.
Ibe 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 after its occurrence, where he shared his commiseration and empathy with the good people and government of Oyo State over the incident.
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“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 also provided a link to Atiku’s Facebook post of January 17, where he said: “I wish to express my condolences to the good people and government of Oyo State over the explosion that rocked the capital city of Ibadan late yesterday night.
“While the government continues to provide humanitarian support to victims of the explosion, I commiserate with the families of those who might have lost their lives and property to the explosion.”