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The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu has not contacted Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde for more than 50 days since the abduction of dozens of schoolchildren in the state.
In a statement posted on X on Monday, Obi said he was “shocked” to learn during a recent visit to Ibadan that Makinde had not received a single phone call from the President since the school abduction.
“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 former Anambra State governor said he travelled to Ibadan on July 3 alongside economist Pat Utomi to express solidarity with Makinde after more than 50 days had passed since the schoolchildren were kidnapped without being rescued.
According to Obi, he had earlier spoken publicly about the incident on two occasions and had appealed directly to the kidnappers to release the children. He also said he telephoned Makinde twice to assure him of his support.
“The government and people of Oyo State, more than 50 days after the abduction of the schoolchildren without any tangible effort toward their rescue, should rightly feel bitter and abandoned,” he said.
Obi compared the current administration’s handling of the crisis with that of previous governments, recalling that, as governor of Anambra State, former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and Goodluck Jonathan regularly contacted governors during major security emergencies.
He also referenced the 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, noting that then-President Goodluck Jonathan faced widespread criticism for taking more than two weeks to contact the Borno State governor.
“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.
“Today, under President Tinubu, there have been more than 13 school kidnappings, yet the President has found it difficult to call the affected state’s chief executive after more than 50 days (over seven weeks). This is outrageous.”
Obi argued that the President’s alleged failure to contact Makinde reflected a broader collapse in governance and leadership.
“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. It is now an indisputable fact that governance has completely collapsed under this administration.”
He further accused the President of lacking “capacity and compassion” and said the situation demonstrated “glaring insensitivity.”
The abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo State has drawn national attention, with families and civil society groups repeatedly calling for intensified rescue efforts.
Worsening Leadership Crisis in the Country Now Evident
The ultimate cost of uncompassionate leadership, as evident in the country today, is turning citizens’ frustration into deep, volatile resentment. It is even more traumatising when the leader presiding over that collapse…
— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) July 6, 2026
