Obi: Makinde Has Not Received a Single Call from Tinubu Since Oyo School Abduction, Says Leadership Crisis Worsening

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has claimed that Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, revealed to him that he has not received a single phone call from President Bola Tinubu since the abduction of 37 pupils and teachers in the state more than 50 days ago.

Obi made the disclosure in a strongly worded statement titled “Worsening Leadership Crisis in the Country Now Evident,” in which he criticised the Federal Government’s response to the worsening security situation and described the country’s leadership as lacking compassion and urgency.

According to Obi, the prolonged captivity of the abducted victims and the alleged absence of direct presidential engagement with the Oyo governor underscore what he described as a growing leadership failure.

“The ultimate cost of uncompassionate leadership, as evident in the country today, is turning citizens’ frustration into deep, volatile resentment,” Obi said. “It is even more traumatising when the leader presiding over that collapse demonstrates clear incapacity and a lack of compassion.”

The former Anambra State governor noted that the people of Oyo State should understandably feel abandoned after more than 50 days without what he termed any tangible progress in securing the release of the abducted schoolchildren and teachers.

Obi disclosed that he had publicly addressed the incident on two occasions, including appealing directly to the kidnappers to release the victims. He also said he reached out to Governor Makinde twice to express solidarity, stressing that the incident represents not just an Oyo State crisis but a national tragedy.

He revealed that on Friday, July 3, he travelled to Ibadan alongside renowned political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, to meet Governor Makinde and discuss the security situation.

According to Obi, the meeting lasted about two hours, during which he shared his experiences in tackling insecurity while serving as Governor of Anambra State.

He recalled that during his tenure, former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan personally contacted state governors whenever major security challenges occurred.

However, Obi said he was shocked to learn that Governor Makinde allegedly had not received any call from President Tinubu since the abduction.

“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 stated.

Drawing comparisons with the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction, Obi recalled that although then-President Goodluck Jonathan faced criticism for taking over two weeks to call the Borno State governor, security agencies at the time provided frequent updates on rescue efforts.

He further claimed that President Tinubu was among those who strongly criticised Jonathan’s handling of the Chibok incident and demanded his immediate resignation.

“I vividly recall that the current President, Bola Tinubu, led a team of vocal critics who called for President Jonathan’s immediate resignation over the incident, citing his delay in calling the state governor,” Obi said.

The former presidential candidate alleged that Nigeria has recorded more than 13 school kidnapping incidents under the current administration, insisting that the President’s alleged failure to contact affected governors demonstrates a lack of urgency in addressing the country’s security crisis.

Describing the situation as “outrageous,” Obi argued that governance has “completely collapsed” under the current administration.

“I cannot imagine any issue more important than the lives of our kidnapped children, their teachers, and the many other Nigerians being held captive across the country,” he said.

“It is now an indisputable fact that governance has completely collapsed under this administration. The situation reflects a total lack of capacity and compassion, compounded by glaring insensitivity.”

Obi concluded by urging President Tinubu to either resign or, at the very least, refrain from seeking re-election, maintaining that his appeal was motivated by patriotism rather than politics.

“Amid such an apparent display of incompetence, the President should either resign or, at the very least, abstain from seeking re-election for the sake of our dear country. This call is patriotic, not political. A New Nigeria is Possible.”

As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency has not issued an official response to Obi’s claims, including his assertion that Governor Makinde had not received a telephone call from President Tinubu following the abduction.