Former Vice President and Presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, has denied the claims made by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde that he did not reach out after the Bodija explosion that occurred in Ibadan in January.
In response to Makinde’s statement, Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, said that Atiku had sent a message of condolence within 24 hours of the incident, expressing his sympathy with the people and government of Oyo State.
Governor Makinde had said during a meeting with Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi that Atiku had not offered his condolences, which resulted in criticism and prompted Atiku’s team to clarify the situation.
Ibe’s statement further maintained that Atiku’s message was widely available on January 17th, the day after the explosion, and perhaps the Governor had been too busy to keep up with media reports.
The Bodija incident occurred on January 16th, resulting in the loss of five lives and injuring 70 others. The authorities attributed the explosion to illegally stored explosives used by artisanal miners.