Makinde: “I declared to run for the presidency of Nigeria at 4am and at 9am the next morning the children were kidnapped.” – THIS AGE

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 elections on the platform of the Allied People’s Party, APM.

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

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

“For seven years, we have not seen anything like this in Oyo State,” Governor Makinde said, adding: “I declared to run for the presidency of Nigeria at 4am and at 9am the next morning children were kidnapped. We are still dealing with all this. Yes, we may have to do more, and we are trying to do more,” he added.

He later told reporters that the aftermath of the development once again underlined the importance of the state police, with governors empowered to give instructions to security agencies.

“I cannot give instructions to the state commissioner of police. He will have to get approval from the inspector general of police. I cannot give instructions to the director of state security. He will have to get approval from the director general of the DSS. The same applies to the military and other security agencies responsible for managing insecurity.”

To further illustrate the political aspect of the Oyo kidnapping, he said what happened in the era of former President Goodluck Jonathan was no different from the current circumstance, saying: “When Chibok happened, it was President Jonathan’s fault. They went all over the world asking Jonathan to bring back the children. But when that 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 elections

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

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

He also said that consultations are underway to choose his running mate, adding that it is still within the stipulated time frame.

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

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