Makinde: Wike Promising to ‘Hold Down PDP’ for Tinubu Sparked Our Disagreement

•Says he regrets supporting president in 2023 

•But will not be supporting him for 2027

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, yesterday, dis-closed that the bone of contention between him and erstwhile political associate, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, was Wike’s vow during a meeting to “hold down the PDP” for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election.

Makinde said Wike made the statement with-out consultation or the consent of other party stakeholders.

The governor spoke during a media chat at Government House, Ibadan.

Makinde said he regretted supporting Tinubu at the 2023 presidential election. He said the decision did not produce the outcome he had hoped for.

The Oyo State governor was one of the five Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, popularly known as “G5” , who openly worked against their party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2023 polls.

The group, led by then Rivers State Governor, Wike, actively worked against Atiku’s candidacy after he (Atiku) bypassed Wike and picked Ifeanyi Okowa, the then Delta State governor, as his running mate in the 2023 presidential election.

Highlighting the issues behind his disagreement with Wike, Makinde said it began after the minister told Tinubu during a meeting that he would “hold PDP” for the president ahead of the 2027 election.

Makinde stated, “I was in a meeting with the president and Wike… and I’m saying this, you know, in an open chat. The president’s chief of staff was also in that meeting and few others… and Wike said to the president that, well, Sir, I will hold PDP for you, you know, in 2027.

“I was in shock. So we got up, we got to the veranda and I said, ‘Wike did we agree to this?’ I told him from that day that I would never be a part of this. Wike can support him, and that is within his right, but it is equally my right to decide who I will support and what role I will play in 2027.”

Makinde said he later raised the issue with a mutual friend, hoping Wike would reconsider his stance.

He said, “I confided in a mutual friend of ours after that meeting. And I kept thinking, okay, the president did not ask him to ‘do this for him’. He was the one that volunteered to do that.

“When I was telling our mutual friend, I said, look, maybe he was talking about an errand that the president never sent him. So, let’s engage him. Let’s see if he will back off. But he never did.”

Makinde said Wike’s refusal to retreat forced him to take a clear position.

He stated, “So after he didn’t back off, I said, well, now it’s time to confront him. Because I told him from that day that I would never be a part of this.

“That is why I will not be supporting the president for 2027. Wike can support him. It is within his right. But also it is within my own right to decide within the political space who I will support or what I will do in 2027.”

Makinde stated that while Wike was entitled to support Tinubu’s re-election bid, other members of the party also had the right to protect PDP and oppose any move that could weaken democratic pluralism.

Makinde said his decision to back Tinubu in 2023, who was then the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), was based on the belief that he would act in the national interest if elected.

“I said it earlier, I’m human. I supported the current president, even though in another party at that time, because I thought we’ll do what is right for the country,” he said.

He added that he believed the president would “reset the country” and bring together competent individuals from across Nigeria to address the nation’s challenges.

“But, unfortunately, that is not what we’re seeing. I regret that action. Yes, I do,” the governor stated.

Citing concerns over the survival of democracy and the future of PDP, Makinde vowed that Tinubu would not have his support in the 2027 presidential election.

Makinde also revealed details of his interactions with Tinubu over ministerial appointments and political organisation in Oyo State. The governor said he rejected an offer to help organise APC in the state due to his loyalty to PDP.

He recounted his conversations with the president following the formation of the federal cabinet and discussions on the upgrade of the Ibadan Airport to international status.

He said Tinubu had earlier requested that Oyo State nominate a candidate for ministerial appointment, with a preference for someone with a professional background.

Makinde said, “When the president said we should nominate a person who will be a minister, I said, ‘Sir, what do you have for us?’ He said he wanted a developmental economist, who could serve as Minister of Budget and Economic Planning.”

Makinde added that he complied by recommending a qualified indigene of Oyo State, but the final outcome differed from the initial understanding.

He said, “I sent someone from Oyo State, but somebody else was chosen. He was not posted to Budget and Economic Planning; he was made Minister of Power.”

He explained that the issue resurfaced during his visit to the president to seek approval for the upgrade of the Ibadan airport, when concerns were raised about his reaction to the ministerial appointment.

“When I went to seek approval for the Ibadan airport upgrade, he said he heard I was angry that my nominee was not chosen,” Makinde said.

The governor clarified that he expressed no resentment, stressing that ministerial appointments remain the exclusive prerogative of the president.

“I told him you can choose whoever you want as a member of your cabinet; we can only support you,” he said.

Makinde revealed that the discussion later shifted to party politics in Oyo State, during which he told the president that the Minister of Power lacked the capacity to organise APC in the state.

“I told him that if you want the Minister of Power to help organise APC in Oyo State, he cannot do it because he does not have the capacity,” Makinde stated.

According to him, Tinubu then made a direct appeal for Makinde himself to undertake the task.

“He said it was me he wanted to help him organise APC in Oyo State,” the governor revealed, adding that he flatly declined the request, citing party loyalty and political principles. 

“I told him no, I cannot help you because I am of the PDP,” he said.

Reflecting on his early career, Makinde recalled that at the age of 29, he secured his first major contract with Mobil worth $1 million, at a time he said Wike had probably just left law school.

Makinde described the deal as a pivotal moment that shaped his rise in both business and politics.