Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has openly declared that he will not support President Bola Tinubu’s re election bid in 2027.
He also drew a clear political line between himself and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in what appears to be a widening rift within the Peoples Democratic Party.
Makinde spoke during a media chat on Tuesday in Ibadan, where he reflected on his early professional life and used it to what he described as contrasting political trajectories between himself and Wike.
The governor recalled that at the age of 29, he secured a landmark $1 million contract with multinational oil firm, Mobil, a deal he said laid the foundation for his later success in business and public service. According to Makinde, the milestone came at a time when Wike “had probably just left law school.”
He described the contract as a defining moment that shaped his confidence and outlook, both as an entrepreneur and later as a political leader.
Beyond personal history, Makinde linked his remarks to fundamental political disagreements with the FCT minister, particularly over Wike’s growing alignment with President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Oyo governor said tensions became explicit during a meeting attended by Wike, President Tinubu, the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and other senior officials.
At the meeting, Makinde alleged that Wike told the President he would “hold the PDP” for him ahead of the next election cycle.
“I was shocked,” Makinde said. “The President did not ask him to do this. He volunteered.”
Makinde stressed that while Wike was entitled to his political choices, those decisions should not be imposed on others within the party.
“Wike is within his rights to support Tinubu,” he said. “But those of us who want to ensure the survival of multiparty democracy and the PDP should also be allowed to make our own decisions.”
He added that attempts to resolve the disagreement through dialogue failed to change Wike’s position, forcing him to take what he described as a principled stand.
“I told him from that day that I would never be part of this,” Makinde stated. “He can support whoever he wants, and that is his right. It is equally my right to decide who I will support and what role I will play in 2027.”
Makinde’s comments further expose the deepening fault lines within the PDP, where two dominant tendencies are now clearly emerging. One faction, associated with Wike, is widely perceived as sympathetic to President Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The other faction, led by Makinde, insists on party independence, internal cohesion and the protection of multiparty democracy as the country moves toward the 2027 elections.