Makinde: “I declared to run for the president of Nigeria at 4:00, and by 9:00 a.m. the following morning, the children were abducted.” – THISAGE

By Ayo Kehinde

Governor Seyi Makinde has linked the abduction of Oyo school teachers and pupils to his ambition to contest the presidency in the 2027 polls on the platform of the Allied Peoples Party, APM.

The victims were released from 56 days captivity following a combined operation by security agencies, which led to the killing of some of the terrorists and arrest of eight others.

Speaking during a visit to his Bauchi counterpart, Bala Mohammed, at the government House in Bauchi, Makinde said the kidnapping was politically motivated.

“For seven years, we did not witness anything like this in Oyo State,” Governor Makinde said, adding, “I declared to run for the president of Nigeria at 4:00, and by 9:00 a.m. the following morning, the children were abducted. We are still dealing with all of this. Yes, we may have to do more, and we’re trying to do more,” he added.

He told journalists afterwards that the fallout of the development has once again underscored the importance of state police, with governors empowered to give instructions to security agencies.

“I cannot instruct the commissioner of police in the state. He will need to get approval from the Inspector General of police. I cannot instruct the state director of security. He will need to get clearance from the director-general of the DSS. The same applies to the military and other security agencies responsible for handling insecurity.”

To further illustrate the political angle in the Oyo abduction, he said what happened in ex- President Goodluck Jonathan era was not different from the present circumstance, saying, “When Chibok happened, it was the fault of President Jonathan. They went all over the world asking Jonathan to bring back the children. But when this happened, they said it was the irresponsibility of the state governor and the state government.”

Declaring that he would run and emerge victorious in the 2027 general election

Governor Makinde said he would ensure that governors have both the responsibility and the authority to protect their states.

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“We need to look at our architecture and ensure that where you give responsibility, you also give authority to deal with those responsibilities. That is exactly what we will do if Nigerians entrust the APM with the presidency. We will ensure that responsibility and authority go together,” he said.

He further said that consultations are ongoing on selecting his running mate, adding that he is still within the stipulated timeframe.

“Let us wait until the names are uploaded to the INEC portal. It is part of the consultation. We still have enough time, and the consultations will continue,” he said.

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