Presidency fires back at Makinde: Tinubu acted swiftly on Oriire — but never answers the call

Photo: Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State · Photo: Oyo State House via Punch (FILE PHOTO, Mar 2026)

The Presidency answered Makinde's interview — everything except the question at its centre. And the governor says the opposition is now talking about one ticket.

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate, told Arise Television in an interview aired on Friday, 13 November, that President Bola Tinubu never contacted him during the 56 days pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area remained in captivity, despite his attempts to reach the President.

“I tried to see the President when our students and our children and their teachers were kidnapped, because I thought if any part of Nigeria is going through such a challenge, the President should be interested. Actually, I expected the President to call me,” he said. Asked whether Tinubu called, he replied: “He did not. No. Till tomorrow.” He said he also tried reaching the President through the State Chief of Protocol and received no response, and that he has never spoken directly with Tinubu about anything.

The abduction happened on 15 May 2026, when gunmen attacked schools in Oriire; the victims were rescued on 10 July after 56 days in captivity. The pact, the 34% score and the fuel pricing claim are Makinde's assertions, not established facts.

In the same interview, Makinde confirmed that opposition leaders are in active talks on a 2027 alliance, saying he has engaged with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi. “We're still discussing,” he said, adding that discussions were aimed at identifying the most viable political arrangement to challenge the APC. He declined to endorse either man, saying the choice must rest on data — manifestos, past performance and public sentiment — and said he would work with Atiku if the data showed him the strongest consensus candidate. Six parties are involved in the talks — the ADC, APM, NDC, PDP, SDP and PRP — and no consensus candidate has been announced.

The Presidency responded late on Friday, 13 November. O'tega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital and New Media, said the Federal Government immediately deployed military and intelligence assets to Oyo State after the 15 May abduction in Oriire Local Government Area, and that the operations led to the successful rescue of all the abducted children and teachers on 10 July 2026. He said the President prioritised “concrete action and results over political point-scoring”, urged Makinde to concentrate on governance and issue-based campaigning, and stressed that the EFCC remains independent.

The response, posted on X at about 23:33 WAT, does not directly address Makinde's central claim — that Tinubu never called him during the 56 days — nor the alleged broken 2023 pact. The pact, the 34% score and the fuel pricing claim remain Makinde's assertions; the Presidency has not addressed them directly.

Update, 14 Nov 2026 (morning): the Presidency has replied, saying the Federal Government deployed military and intelligence assets immediately after the Oriire abduction and rescued all the victims on 10 July. It did not address Makinde's central claim that the President never called him, nor the alleged broken 2023 pact. Makinde also confirmed in the same interview that opposition leaders are in active talks on a 2027 alliance with Atiku and Obi — six parties, no consensus candidate announced.

← Back to homepage  ·  Archive