The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Mr Peter Obi, has paid a condolence visit to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State over the recent explosion that rocked the state capital, Ibadan.
While receiving the former presidential candidate at the Governor’s Office, Agodi, Secretariat, Ibadan, Makinde, expressed gratitude to Mr Obi for the condolence visit. He praised him for separating politics from governance and humanity, urging political leaders to always rise above political sentiments when issues of humanity become major discourse.
The governor accused the former Vice President and presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general election, Atiku Abubakar of failing to express empathy to either the victims of the explosion, their families or the Oyo State government.
Expressing dismay at what he called Atiku’s lack of empathy, the governor said it was insensitive for Atiku to not offer any condolence or even acknowledge the tragedy, noting that Atiku’s silence sends a troubling message about his character and judgment.
Makinde said: “I am particularly grateful because the three musketeers that went for the presidential election have reached out to me. The President has called me, 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,” the governor said.
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Earlier, Mr Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, disclosed that his visit was to pay condolence to the governor and the people of the state over the recent explosion.
He noted: “We want to extend our condolences to the bereaved families and to all those who lost their valuable property in the incident and to assure them of our prayers that God will grant those who lost their lives eternal rest. And we want to thank the government for its prompt response and that is what governance has to be.”
Speaking on the economic situation of the country and its effect on the masses, Obi called for a cut in the cost of governance at the federal level as a necessary sacrifice to move the country forward.
He called on all Nigerians to work together so as to turn around the situation of the country and also commend the government whenever it does the right thing.
“It’s a matter of sacrifice. Today, elections are over, governance is the key thing and what is required for me is to cut down on the cost of governance especially at the federal level. It is unacceptable the way it is going, we need to prioritise critical areas such as education, health and pulling people out of poverty,” he added.
Emmanuel Ukoh
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