The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has expressed surprise that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has yet to speak with Governor Seyi Makinde over the abduction of schoolchildren in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Obi described the development as troubling, saying he discovered during a recent visit to the governor that Tinubu had not placed a single call to Makinde more than 50 days after the pupils were kidnapped.
The former governor of Anambra State said he had publicly spoken about the abduction on two occasions, including appealing directly to the kidnappers to release the children.
He added that he had also called Governor Makinde twice to express solidarity, insisting that the incident was a Nigerian tragedy and not merely an Oyo State issue.
Obi disclosed that he travelled to Ibadan on July 3 with Pat Utomi to sympathise with the governor after more than seven weeks had passed without the children’s rescue.
According to him, the two-hour meeting also provided an opportunity to share his experience in addressing insecurity while serving as governor of Anambra State.
Obi recalled that former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan personally contacted state governors whenever they faced major security challenges.
“But, to my utmost shock, I discovered that, contrary to my assumption that they had been in regular communication over the matter, Governor Seyi Makinde had not received a single call from President Bola Tinubu,” Obi wrote.
The NDC presidential candidate compared the incident with the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, noting that the case attracted widespread national and international attention and that then President Jonathan faced criticism over the timing of his response.
Obi also claimed that more than 13 school kidnappings had occurred under the current administration, arguing that the President should demonstrate greater engagement with affected states during security emergencies.
He said the prolonged captivity of the children and other Nigerians held by kidnappers reflected what he described as a failure of governance and a lack of compassion.
Obi further called on President Tinubu to either resign from office or refrain from seeking re-election, maintaining that his appeal was motivated by concern for the country rather than partisan politics.