…says he is content being in the opposition 

…You have plans to leave PDP after 2027 – Wike’s Aide tackles Makinde

Oyo State Governor, Engr.Seyi Makinde, has declared that he will not support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general election.

He insisted that his decision is based on the need to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy and preserve the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Makinde made the declaration on Tuesday during a media interaction at the Government House in Ibadan, where he addressed growing political tensions within the PDP and his disagreement with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The governor said the disagreement began after a meeting involving President Tinubu, Wike and other political leaders, during which Wike allegedly made a statement committing the PDP to Tinubu’s re-election bid without consulting party stakeholders.

According to Makinde, Wike told the President that he would “hold the PDP” for him ahead of the 2027 election, a remark he said came as a shock.

“I was in a meeting with the President and Wike and a few others, and Wike said to the President that he would hold the PDP for him against 2027,” Makinde said.

He explained that he immediately challenged the statement, stressing that no such agreement had been discussed or approved within the party.

Makinde noted that while Wike is free to support President Tinubu in his personal capacity, he does not have the authority to speak or act on behalf of the PDP as a whole.

Making added: “The issue is not about who anyone wants to support. But those of us who want democracy to survive and do not want Nigeria to slide into a one-party state must also be allowed to protect the PDP.”

The Oyo governor further clarified that President Tinubu did not instruct Wike to make the declaration, describing it as a personal decision rather than a directive from the President.

He revealed that efforts were made to resolve the matter behind closed doors, but Wike refused to withdraw his position, forcing him to openly distance himself from the move.

Reaffirming his political independence, the governor said no individual has the right to dictate his political choices ahead of the 2027 elections.

“That is why I will not support the President in 2027. Wike can support him if he wants, but it is also my right to decide who I support and what I do politically,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has accused Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, of lacking party loyalty and planning to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after the 2027 general elections.

Olayinka made the claims in a social media post on Tuesday, where he described Makinde as a “serial defector” who changes political parties based on personal ambition rather than party ideology.

According to him, Makinde has a history of leaving the PDP whenever his political interests are threatened.

“In 2007, he left the PDP for the ANPP because he failed to secure the senatorial ticket. 

“In 2015, he moved to the SDP after failing to get the PDP governorship ticket,”Olayinka wrote.

He further alleged that Makinde would have defected again in 2019 if he had not eventually secured the PDP ticket to contest the governorship election.

Olayinka also claimed that Makinde aligned with the PDP G5 governors ahead of the 2023 elections mainly to secure his re-election, not out of loyalty to the party.

The Wike aide further alleged that Makinde worked against Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, during the 2022 governorship election in order to remain the only PDP governor in the South-West.

“He worked against Governor Adeleke so he could be the only PDP governor in the region,” Olayinka claimed.

Describing Makinde as self-centred, Olayinka said the Oyo governor has never been loyal to any political party or individual.

“He is only about himself,” he wrote, adding that several politicians who had worked with Makinde could testify to his alleged lack of loyalty.

Olayinka added that Makinde would leave the PDP after 2027, describing it as a predictable move based on his political history.