…Makinde-Wike- Fayose Rift Gets Messier
…FCT Minister Insists Tinubu Must Return in 2027
By Yinka Giwa
As political fault lines widen ahead of 2027, the simmering feud between Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has grown messier, with former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose’s controversial claims over an alleged ₦50 billion Federal Government largesse now seen as a proxy battle in a larger power struggle over President Bola Tinubu’s political future.
At the heart of the dispute is Makinde’s recent declaration that he would not support Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, a stance that has riled allies of the President within and outside the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly Wike and Fayose, both of whom are firmly in Tinubu’s corner.
While Fayose recently accused Makinde of receiving ₦50 billion from the Federal Government and keeping silent while allegedly stockpiling the funds for a future presidential ambition, the Oyo State Government has dismissed the claims as false, politically motivated, and deliberately misleading.
In a detailed statement by Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Special Adviser (Media) to the Governor of Oyo State, the government clarified that no such ₦50 billion was disbursed, stressing that Fayose’s allegation was built around a promise that was never fully honoured.
“The Federal Government did not give Governor Makinde ₦50 billion,” the statement said, adding that only ₦30 billion was released following the January 2024 Bodija explosion, while the remaining ₦20 billion was withheld after the governor refused to accede to alleged inducement demands.
Beyond the immediate denial, political observers argue that Fayose’s attack is less about financial accountability and more about positioning ahead of 2027. Fayose, who now works closely with Wike, is widely seen as prosecuting a proxy war on behalf of the FCT minister, as tempers flare over Makinde’s perceived presidential ambition.
The stakes are heightened by the fact that Makinde, like Tinubu, hails from the South-West, fuelling unease among Tinubu’s allies over the possibility of another southern contender emerging before the President completes a second term. For Wike and Fayose, both of whom have openly thrown their weight behind Tinubu, such a scenario is viewed as a direct threat to the President’s re-election bid.
That position was emphatically restated on Sunday by Wike himself. Speaking during special Christmas visits to Emohua and Ikwerre Local Government Areas of Rivers State, the FCT minister insisted that the South must be allowed to complete its “full eight years” in power.
According to his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike said equity and fairness demand that President Tinubu, a southerner, be supported to complete his first term and be re-elected for a second term until 2031.
“The South must complete its eight years. It doesn’t matter which party we belong to, to give the President the needed support to succeed,” Wike said.
“In 2031, after the South must have completed its eight years under President Tinubu, we will know what to do next.”
Wike also warned that party differences should not stand in the way of backing Tinubu’s second-term bid, urging politicians to honour political agreements in order to build trust and stability in the polity.
Recalling the 2023 elections, he reminded his Ikwerre audience of the political risks they took to support Tinubu at a time when victory was uncertain.
“In 2023, when it was difficult to campaign for Tinubu and when people were not sure he would emerge as President, the Ikwerre knew politics is about risk and they took the risk,” he said.
“If you look at the votes that made Tinubu win in Rivers, the votes were majorly from Ikwerre.
“So, when it mattered most, we stood on his mandate, not these people coming out now to shout “on your mandate.” When it was important, they couldn’t shout on your mandate.
“You take stands when things are tough, not when food is ready. We took this position when things were tough, and we are still standing by it.”
Within this context, the Oyo State Government believes the attacks on Makinde are part of a broader strategy to discredit and isolate him politically following his refusal to back Tinubu in 2027 and his outspoken opposition to what he has described as attempts to push Nigeria towards a one-party state.
In its statement, the Makinde administration insisted that the controversy over the alleged ₦50 billion was a distraction from the real issue: a fierce behind-the-scenes battle over succession, zoning, and power within the southern political bloc.
It argued that the renewed distortion of the issue is politically driven, coming shortly after Governor Makinde publicly stated that he would not support President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, a position he said reflects his regret over supporting him in 2023 and concerns about attempts to edge Nigeria toward a one-party state.
According to the statement, that declaration triggered political hostility, including a recent move by a group aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to announce a purported PDP caretaker committee in Oyo State, an effort later disowned by the only two credible figures associated with it.
“These actions are not driven by principle; they are driven by desperation,” the statement said.
The attempt to portray Governor Makinde as dishonest, ungrateful, or isolated within his party was described as futile. The governor, it added, remains one of the few serving PDP governors, with a mandate rooted in performance, credibility, and the trust of the people of Oyo State.
The statement concluded that half-truths and outright falsehoods may offer temporary comfort to political mischief-makers but will always collapse under the weight of facts.
“Nigeria stands at a crossroads,” it said, noting that the issue transcends partisan politics and touches on the defence of democracy itself.
“Truth does not need protection,” the statement added. “It only needs to be told—fully, clearly, and without fear.”