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 prominent members of the G-5 governors who opposed the PDP’s choice of Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate and Iyorchia Ayu as national chairman ahead of the 2023 general election, because both positions were occupied by politicians from the North.
Speaking during a media chat in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Makinde said the relationship collapsed after Wike made what he described as a “shocking” declaration during a meeting with President Tinubu, which he said the President neither requested nor endorsed.
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 survive and we don’t drift into a one-party state, and we want to ensure that the PDP survive, he should also allow us to do our own thing. That is just the issue between Wike and me.”
But, the minister’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, slammed Makinde, describing the Oyo State governor as selfish in his political dealings.
Olayinka, in a post via his official X handle, accused Makinde of lacking loyalty to any individual or political party, insisting that the governor was driven solely by personal ambition.
Giving what he described as a rundown of Makinde’s political trajectory, Olayinka alleged that the Oyo governor joined the G-5 governors only to secure his re-election in 2023.
He further claimed that Makinde would, as he had allegedly done in the past, dump the PDP for another platform after 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 also accused Makinde of working against Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, during the 2022 governorship election in a bid to remain the only PDP governor in the South-West.
“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 chat, Makinde explained that attempts were made to engage Wike to reconsider his stance to support Tinubu, but the minister remained unmoved.
Makinde said it was even more disturbing when he later confirmed that Tinubu did not instruct Wike to make such a pledge.
“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 stressed 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 Nigeria risks mass unrest if political pluralism is undermined.
“What Nigerians would show politicians and elites in 2027, we cannot imagine right now,” he said.
The governor also declared that he would not support Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, adding that he regretted backing the President in 2023.
“I regret supporting Tinubu in the 2023 election. I am not above mistakes,” Makinde said.
He called on Nigerians to resist any attempt to impose a one-party system, stressing that a competitive multi-party democracy remained essential for national stability.
Makinde further criticised governors defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress, saying such moves did not address the realities facing Nigerians.
“When they say governors have defected, I am not bothered. Where is hunger and anger in the land? Has it defected?” he asked.
On the leadership crisis within the PDP, Makinde accused the Independent National Electoral Commission of acting in a one-sided manner, particularly during a meeting it convened to address the party’s internal disputes.
According to him, there was no faction in the PDP, insisting that the party’s convention held in Ibadan was valid and conducted in line with the law.
“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 warned that attempts to destabilise the PDP were equivalent to undermining democracy itself and could have unintended consequences.
Pressed on speculations about his presidential ambition, Makinde said he possessed the political and professional qualifications to aspire to the nation’s highest office.
“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 lacking comparable professional experience at the time.
On local government autonomy, Makinde accused the Federal Government of “double speak,” arguing that political dialogue would be required to resolve the challenges surrounding the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment on the issue.
Addressing allegations of land grabbing linked to the Ibadan Circular Road project, Makinde said the 500-metre corridor was gazetted in 2018, before his administration assumed office, and that his government was merely implementing a legally approved project.
He said compensation was being paid even to residents without formal documentation, provided they could show proof of residence.
Makinde concluded by saying he wanted his administration to be remembered for building strong institutions rather than just physical infrastructure.
“Infrastructure alone does not guarantee a legacy unless it is embedded in strong institutions,” he said, adding that his government prioritised creating opportunities and systems that would outlive his tenure.
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