According to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, President Bola Tinubu was assured by Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike a few months after taking office that the PDP will support him in 2027.
In an interview with journalists on Tuesday, Makinde revealed that the reason he was upset with the former governor of Rivers State is that Wike wants to back the president in 2027 and does not want the PDP to do so.
He went on to explain his disagreement with Wike, saying, “The real issue is that I was in a meeting with the president and Wike.” This is being said in an open chat. Along with a few others, the chief of staff of the president was present at that meeting. “Sir, I’ll hold PDP for you in 2027,” Wike added to the president. I was in disbelief. We rose and made our way to the veranda. “Did we agree to this, Wike?” I asked. Talking about people bothers me. I’ll discuss the actual problem, though. The true problem is that Wike wants to back the 2027 presidential candidate. It is okay. He is entitled to do that. However, he should also give us the freedom to pursue our own goals in order to prevent Nigeria from becoming a one-party state and to preserve democracy. Wike and I are just at odds over it.
“After that encounter, I told a buddy of ours. I couldn’t stop thinking that he wasn’t asked to do this for the president. He offered to do that on his own initiative.
“So, I remarked to our mutual buddy that perhaps he was referring to an errand that the president had never sent him. Let’s interact with him. Try to get him to back off. He never did, though. I decided it was time to confront him after he refused to back down. Since that day, I have told him that I will never participate in this. For that reason, I will not be endorsing the president in 2027. He can be supported by Wike. He is entitled to do so. However, I also have the freedom to choose in the political sphere who I will back or what I will do in 2027.
Speaking further, the governor described how the president asked him to suggest a candidate for a ministerial position, but the candidate wasn’t chosen. Later, in a meeting with the president, the president asked him to organize the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, but the governor declined the offer.
“The individual wasn’t selected,” he stated. Instead, they chose the present minister of power. The position of minister of budget and economic planning was not given to him. The ministry of power received him. I believe I went to the president for approval of the airport upgrade during a later meeting. “He’ll sign it for me,” he stated.
“But what happened politically?” the president reportedly inquired. I’ve heard you’re disappointed that your nominee didn’t get the cabinet position. In Yoruba nation, it is easier to abort a pregnancy than to kill a kid, thus if you don’t want the pregnancy to be aborted, you won’t want the infant to die. You’ll choose who you want to work with in the end, I said. All we can do is recommend folks. However, we are only here to support you if you know people that fulfill your criteria for the type of person you want in your cabinet. Let me clarify, nevertheless, that the minister of power lacks the ability to assist you in organizing the APC in Oyo State if you have chosen him for that purpose.
“No, no, no, Seyi, I want you to assist me in organizing APC in Oyo State,” he shouted. I replied, “No, sir. Since I’m a PDP member, I can never assist you in organizing APC in Oyo State.” Therefore, we would be in a completely different situation today if we had a government of national competency and unity.
“And let me to reiterate this Wike issue. Macron received this identical first contract from Mobil. I was 29. $1 billion was the sum. In a single year, I earned $1 billion. In 1997, Wike had just graduated from law school, and I was 29. His next position was chairman of the municipal government.
