…Vows Never to Work for Tinubu’s Re-election
By Jeremy Fregene
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has disclosed that his political relationship with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, collapsed after the latter openly pledged to “hold the PDP” for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.
Makinde, who also declared that he would not support Tinubu’s re-election bid, said the remark struck at the heart of party democracy and the future of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The governor spoke during a media chat at the Government House, Ibadan, where he traced the genesis of the rift between him and Wike to a meeting with President Tinubu and other political actors.
According to Makinde, Wike, without consulting other PDP stakeholders, told the President that he would “hold the PDP” for him going into 2027.
“I was in a meeting with the President, Wike and a few others, and Wike said to the President, ‘I will hold the PDP for you against 2027,’” Makinde recounted. “So, we got up, and I asked Wike, did we agree to this?”
Makinde said he was taken aback by the comment, stressing that no individual has the authority to mortgage the future of the PDP or speak on behalf of the party without collective consent.
He acknowledged Wike’s right, as an individual, to support Tinubu’s re-election but insisted that such a decision must not come at the expense of the opposition party or Nigeria’s democratic balance.
“The real issue is that Wike would like to support the President in 2027, and that is fine; it is within his right,” Makinde said. “But those of us who want democracy to survive in Nigeria, who do not want us to drift into a one-party state, and who want to ensure that the PDP survives, should also be allowed to do our own thing.”
The Oyo governor emphasised that President Tinubu did not solicit Wike’s pledge, describing it as a unilateral and unsolicited commitment.
“The President did not ask him to do this. He volunteered it on his own,” Makinde said.
He added that all efforts to get Wike to retract or soften his stance failed, forcing him to draw a clear line.
“After he didn’t back off, I told him from that day that I would never be part of this,” he said.
Makinde said the episode cemented his decision not to work for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, insisting on his right to make independent political choices.
“That is why I will never support the President in 2027. Wike can support him; it is within his right. But it is also within my right, within the political space, to determine who I will support or what I will do in 2027,” he declared.
Beyond his disagreement with Wike, Makinde criticised the ongoing wave of defections by governors and other top politicians to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), warning that such moves undermine democratic pluralism.
According to him, Nigerians desire a viable democracy anchored on strong opposition parties, not a system tilted towards a one-party dominance.
With less than two years to the next general election, Makinde said it was still too early to delve deeply into the 2027 presidential contest, even as he maintained that he is qualified to lead Nigeria if called upon.
“Let me make this very clear: to serve this country at the highest level, I am qualified — I’m even overqualified,” he said.
He anchored his confidence on his record as a two-term governor and his professional background as an engineer and entrepreneur.
“I ran Oyo State, and even the current President, what brought him to the table? He was governor of Lagos State for two terms. By the end of May 2027, by God’s grace, I will have completed my full tenure as a two-term governor of Oyo State,” Makinde said.
He also highlighted his private-sector experience, noting that he built a company at a young age and worked with multinational oil firms such as Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron, without relying on government patronage.
Makinde, a PDP governor in his second and final term, recalled that although he supported Tinubu in the 2023 election, he would not take that path again.
While Wike, a former ally, is free to back the President, Makinde said his immediate focus is on rescuing and rebuilding the PDP, whose ranks have been severely depleted by defections.
“I was in shock when Wike volunteered to hold the PDP for Tinubu against 2027,” he said. “He can support the President, but I will not.”
He concluded that the survival of the PDP and the preservation of Nigeria’s democratic space remain his top priorities ahead of 2027.