Ibadan Explosion: Aide Refutes Makinde, Says Atiku Commiserated with Oyo

Paul Ibe, the Media Aide to 2023 Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, has refuted Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde’s claim that Atiku failed to commiserate with the people and State Government following the Ibadan explosion.

Makinde, during a meeting with the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, expressed disappointment that Atiku had not reached out in the aftermath of the tragic incident.

Makinde stated, “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 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.”

In response, Atiku’s media adviser stated on Monday that Atiku had promptly conveyed his condolences.

The statement clarified, “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.”

“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 January 17, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar did make a widely available message on the Ibadan incident,” the statement continued.

Verification confirmed that Atiku expressed condolences through his verified Facebook page on January 17. The Facebook post read: “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 last 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.”

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