•Says Wike, at a meeting, promised Tinubu he would hold PDP for him
OYO State governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, has explained why he would not support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, warning that efforts to destroy the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) could ultimately undermine Nigeria’s democracy.
Speaking during a media chat in Ibadan on Tuesday, Makinde recounted a meeting attended by President Tinubu, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, and others.
He alleged that during the meeting, Wike volunteered to “hold the PDP” for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election, a statement Makinde said shocked him.
He clarified that the president did not ask Wike to make such a pledge.
Makinde stressed that while Wike is free to support Tinubu, he had chosen not to do so and believes every individual should be allowed to make their own political choices.
The governor warned that attempts by agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government to weaken or destroy the PDP could have unintended consequences, including the erosion of Nigeria’s multiparty democracy, just as he called on all democrats to resist any plot to impose a one-party system on the country.
Makinde said that it was regrettable that the president refused to run “a government of national unity, government of national competence.”
He also admitted that he regretted supporting Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, saying the decision failed to deliver the national reset he envisaged.
The governor was one of the five Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, known as the G5, who worked against the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2023 election. The group opposed Atiku’s candidature on zoning grounds, insisting that the PDP should have presented a southern candidate after the eight-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Explaining his decision to support Tinubu, then the presidential candidate of the APC, Makinde said it was driven by what he believed was in the national interest.
“I said it earlier, I am human. I supported the current president, even though he was in another party, because I thought he would do what was right for the country,” the governor said.
He added that he genuinely believed Tinubu would bring together competent Nigerians across party lines to “reset the country” and tackle its challenges.
“But unfortunately, that is not what we are seeing. I regret that action. Yes, I do,” Makinde stated.
The governor then added that President Tinubu would not enjoy his support in the 2027 election, stressing that the survival of democracy and the future of the PDP are at stake.
He explained that at the beginning of the Tinubu administration, the president asked him to nominate someone as the Minister of Economic Planning, which he did.
He, however, said the President did not pick his nominee but instead chose someone else and made the person Minister of Power.
Makinde noted that he told the President that “If you’ve selected the Minister of Power because you want him to help you organise APC in Oyo State, he doesn’t have the capacity.
“The President said, ‘no, no, it’s you that I want to help to organise APC in Oyo State’ and I said, ‘no, I’m of the PDP’.”
However, speaking on his political future, Makinde said he possesses more than enough experience to serve as Nigeria’s president if called upon in 2027.
Responding to questions about his political future, Makinde said his qualifications for the nation’s highest office were not in doubt, pointing to his record as governor of Oyo State.
He argued that executive experience at the state level has historically prepared leaders for the presidency, citing President Tinubu’s own path from being governor of Lagos State to the presidency.
Makinde also highlighted his professional background outside politics, noting that he successfully ran a private company from the age of 29.
“I have heard that also, people saying, ‘Oh, is Seyi trying to position himself for the 2027 presidency?’ Let me make this very clear: to serve this country at the highest level, I am qualified, I am even overqualified. I have run Oyo State. Even the current president – what brought him to the table? He was governor of Lagos State.
“By the end of May 2027, by God’s grace, God sparing my life, I would have completed two tenures as governor of Oyo State. Professionally, I ran a company from a very young age, at 29,” he said.
Makinde also spoke about the legacy he wants his administration to leave behind, saying he hopes to be remembered for the institutions his government is building rather than for physical projects alone.
According to him, the focus is on creating systems that will ensure good governance, sustainable development, and growth long after his tenure.
He explained that infrastructure on its own does not guarantee a lasting legacy unless projects are completed and embedded within strong institutions.
Using the example of a major ring road, he noted that once such projects are completed, people often forget who initiated them, while unfinished projects tend to be remembered more vividly.
He added that his administration prioritises creating opportunities and a conducive environment for citizens to improve their lives, rather than relying on handouts.
On the Ibadan Circular Road project, Makinde defended his administration against allegations of land grabbing linked to the 500-metre corridor of the Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road.
He explained that the land corridor was officially gazetted on November 19, 2018, several months before his administration assumed office in May 2019, and that what his government did was to commence work on the legally sanctioned project.
He said the 110-kilometre circular road is designed to ease traffic flow around Ibadan, a city experiencing rapid population growth, and to prevent future congestion similar to that of Lagos. He described the corridor as part of a modern motorway standard and as an industrial and commercial corridor aimed at helping Oyo State transition from a consumptive to a productive economy.
On compensation, the governor said his administration was adopting a humane approach by offering payments even to residents without formal land documentation, provided they can show proof of residence, to enable them to resettle elsewhere.
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