Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has triggered intense political reactions by suggesting that the Oyo State Government may have orchestrated recent abductions of schoolchildren to politically blackmail and discredit President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Speaking during a live appearance on Channels Television, Fayose strongly defended President Tinubu’s administration, asserting that the president has given his absolute best despite inheriting severe structural and economic damage from the previous administration. He argued that rather than looking to distance himself from his predecessor, President Muhammadu Buhari, Tinubu essentially handed over government to himself and chose to actively manage the inherited institutional crisis. Fayose added that the persistent wave of criticism directed at the current administration mirrors the intense opposition scrutiny former President Goodluck Jonathan faced during his tenure.
The former governor insisted that state leaders must bear primary responsibility for localized security failures instead of treating them as exclusively federal issues, noting that governors have access to substantial security votes and regional enforcement structures like the Amotekun corps. Commenting specifically on the security situation in Oyo State, Fayose stated that he strongly believes the recent high-profile school abductions were partially organized by local state actors specifically designed to corner the federal government. He criticized Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration for an alleged lack of swift response during the initial security breaches, claiming that the state government only became visibly involved after regional political nomination activities had concluded. While Fayose acknowledged the deep sensitivity of the mass kidnappings and termed the incidents tragic, he maintained that the security narrative is being weaponized as a tool for regional blackmail against the president.