Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has disclosed how he declined a request by President Bola Tinubu to help coordinate the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, citing his loyalty to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Makinde made the revelation during a media chat on Tuesday, December 23, in Ibadan, explaining that the issue arose after earlier engagements with the president over the nomination of a minister from Oyo State following the formation of the federal cabinet.
According to the governor, President Tinubu made a direct appeal to him. “He said, ‘Seyi, it’s you that I want to help me organise APC in Oyo State,’” Makinde recalled.
Makinde said he immediately rejected the request, stressing that he could not work against his party. “I told him, ‘No sir, I cannot help you organise APC in Oyo State because I am of the PDP,’” he said.
The governor further revealed that he was present at a meeting where the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, openly declared his intention to support President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
“I was in a meeting with the president and Wike. I’m saying this in an open chat. The president’s chief of staff was also in that meeting and a few others, and Wike said to the president that, ‘Well sir, I will hold PDP for you against 2027,’” Makinde said.
He described the moment as shocking. “I was in shock. So we got up, we got to the verandah and I said, ‘Wike, did we agree to this?’” he added.
Makinde emphasised that while Wike is entitled to support Tinubu politically, he would not participate in any arrangement that weakens the opposition or threatens Nigeria’s democratic space.
“The real issue is that Wike would like to support the president for 2027. That’s fine. It is within his right to do that. But some of us want to ensure that democracy survives in Nigeria, that we don’t drift into a one-party state, and that the PDP survives. He should also allow us to do our own thing,” the governor said.