Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has offered a striking personal account of his early career success and its connection to his ongoing political divergence with Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, outlining why he will not back President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
Speaking during a media interaction on Tuesday in Ibadan, Makinde reflected on a defining moment in his life, securing his first major business contract worth $1 million with multinational oil giant Mobil at age 29, a milestone he said came at a time when Wike “had just left law school.” The governor described the deal as pivotal to his rise in both the private sector and public service.
“At a time when the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had probably just left law school,” Makinde said, “I was able to secure a $1 million contract that changed the course of my life.”
Makinde’s comments come against the backdrop of deepening tension within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), particularly between factions aligned with Makinde and those around Wike. The Oyo governor reiterated his refusal to support Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, asserting that Wike had volunteered backing for the president without consultation.
“The President did not ask him to do this; he volunteered,” Makinde said of Wike’s reported pledge to “hold the PDP” for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections, a remark the governor said left him “shocked.”
Makinde stressed that Wike is at liberty to make such political choices, but that he personally reserves the right to determine his own path.
“Wike is within his rights to support Tinubu, 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,” Makinde said.
He was firm in underscoring that his stance reflects broader concerns for democracy and the autonomy of his party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“I told him from that day that I would never be a part of this,” Makinde said. “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.”
The spat between Makinde and Wike reflects a wider struggle within the PDP. Wike, the former governor of Rivers State and a key member of the influential G5 governors’ bloc has been increasingly vocal in his criticisms of PDP leadership and has, on several occasions, been linked to efforts that appear aligned with President Tinubu’s APC administration.
In recent party meetings, Wike has insisted his political standing within the PDP predates that of figures like Makinde and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, asserting that members who joined after him cannot “kick him out” of the party.
Meanwhile, supporters of the opposing faction, including Makinde, have framed their approach as one aimed at preserving the PDP’s institutional independence and reinforcing multiparty democracy rather than subordinating party interests to those of the ruling administration.
