The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Tuesday broke his silence on his rift with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, disclosing that their fallout stemmed from Wike’s alleged declaration to “hold down” the Peoples Democratic Party for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
Wike and Makinde were notable G-5 governors who opposed the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, ahead of the 2023 general election, because both posts were held by Northern politicians.
During a media briefing in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, Makinde stated that the connection ended after Wike made a “shocking” declaration during a meeting with President Tinubu, which he claimed the President neither sought nor authorized.
Makinde said, “The real issue was that I was in a meeting with the president. Wike, the president’s chief of staff, and two others were also at that meeting. And Wike said to the President, ‘I will hold the PDP for you against 2027.’
“I was in shock. So we got to the veranda, and I said, ‘Wike, did we agree to this?’ The real issue is that Wike would like to support the president for 2027—that is fine; it is within his right to do that.
“But also some of us who want to ensure that democracy survives and we don’t drift into a one-party state, and we want to ensure that the PDP survives, he should also allow us to do our own thing. That is just the issue between Wike and me.”
However, the minister’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, slammed Makinde, describing the Oyo State governor as selfish in his political dealings.
In a tweet on his official X, Olayinka accused Makinde of lacking devotion to any individual or any party, claiming that the governor was motivated exclusively by personal ambition.
Giving a summary of Makinde’s political career, Olayinka claimed that the Oyo governor joined the G-5 governors solely to ensure his re-election in 2023.
He further said that Makinde, as he had in the past, will abandon the PDP for another platform following the 2027 election.
Olayinka wrote, “Ibadan Gomina General has never been loyal to anyone or any political party; he is only about himself.
“In 2007, he left PDP for ANPP because he failed to get a senatorial ticket. In 2015, he left PDP for SDP because he failed to get the governorship ticket. In 2019, if not for the fact that he got the PDP ticket for governorship, he would have decamped to another party.
“In 2023, he joined the PDP G-5 governors to ensure his re-election. He is Governor Seyi Makinde, and surely, after 2027, he will be in another party.”
He further accused Makinde of working against Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun State, in the 2022 governorship race in order to retain his position as the only PDP governor in the Southwest.
“In 2022, he worked against Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State to ensure that he would be the only PDP governor in the South-West,” Olayinka added.
During Tuesday’s media briefing, Makinde explained that attempts were made to persuade Wike to alter his stance in support of Tinubu, but the minister remained unmoved.
Makinde found it even more worrisome when he later stated that Tinubu did not instruct Wike to make such a vow.
“After that meeting, I kept thinking, the president did not ask him to do it; he was the one who volunteered to do that. So when I was telling our mutual friend, I said, “Maybe he was talking about an errand the president never sent him,” Makinde said.
“So, let’s engage him to see whether he would back out, but he never did. So I said now is the time to confront him because I told him, from that day, I will never be a part of this, and that is why I will not support the president for 2027. Wike can support him, but it is also within my right to decide within the political space who I will support or what I will do in 2027,” Makinde added.
Makinde emphasized his opposition to any plan that could weaken opposition parties and push Nigeria toward a one-party system, warning that such a move could endanger democracy.
He said, “If you move the country towards a one-party state, what happens when you need a bipartisan approach to issues? Who are you going to call? The day you move the country towards a one-party state, you remember what happened with the Arab Spring. Once people don’t have leadership, they will find leadership by all means.”
Makinde warned that if political pluralism is undermined in Nigeria, the country could face widespread upheaval.
“What Nigerians would show politicians and elites in 2027, we cannot imagine right now,” according to him.
The governor further stated that he will not support Tinubu in the 2027 presidential race and that he regretted supporting the president in 2023.
“I regret supporting Tinubu in the 2023 election. I am not above mistakes,” Makinde said.
He urged Nigerians to oppose any attempt to establish a one-party system, emphasizing that a competitive multi-party democracy remained critical to national stability.
Makinde also criticized governors who defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, claiming that such moves failed to address Nigerians’ concerns.
“When they say governors have defected, I am not bothered. Where are hunger and anger in the land? Has it defected?” he asked.
Regarding the PDP’s leadership problem, Makinde accused the Independent National Electoral Commission of acting unilaterally, notably during a meeting called to discuss the party’s internal disputes.
He insisted that there was no split in the PDP and that the party’s convention in Ibadan was valid and legal.
“We held a convention in Ibadan. We gave adequate notice to INEC, which is what we are required to do under the law,” he said.
Makinde said that attempting to disrupt the PDP was tantamount to undermining democracy itself, which might have unexpected repercussions.
When asked about his presidential ambitions, Makinde stated that he had the political and professional qualifications to run for the nation’s highest position.
“To serve this country at the highest level, I am qualified,” he said, citing his two-term governorship experience and background in the oil and gas sector, where he said he ran a successful engineering company and earned his first million dollars from a contract in 1997.
He also accused Wike of having insufficient equivalent professional experience at the time.
On local government autonomy, Makinde criticized the Federal Government of “double speak,” suggesting that political engagement would be required to tackle the problems surrounding the Supreme Court’s decision on the matter.
Addressing claims of land grabbing related to the Ibadan Circular Road project, Makinde stated that the 500-meter corridor was gazetted in 2018, before his administration took office, and that his government was simply carrying out a legally approved project.
He stated that compensation was paid even to residents who did not have formal papers, as long as they could prove proof of residence.
Makinde finished by stating that he wants his administration to be known for establishing strong institutions rather than simply physical facilities.
“Infrastructure alone does not guarantee a legacy unless it is embedded in strong institutions,” he said, adding that his government prioritized creating opportunities and systems that would outlive his tenure.
