OYO State Governor Seyi Makinde has revealed that he regretted supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023, expressing his determination not to support his re-election bid in 2027, while warning that efforts to destroy the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) could ultimately undermine Nigeria’s democracy.
Speaking to the media in Ibadan on Tuesday, Makinde said there is no faction in the PDP, adding that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was given adequate notice ahead of the recent party convention held in Ibadan.
According to him, the PDP leadership led by Taminu Turaki was “tricked” into attending the recent meeting called by INEC.
“And by the way, as the PDP stands today, there is no faction in the PDP. We held a convention here in Ibadan. We properly notified INEC, which is all we are required to do under the law.
“So, it will take some time for INEC if they decide to behave like the ostrich, bury their heads and all their bodies outside. And for the current INEC president, the job is very difficult to begin with. Now, to hide all these things that they are not supposed to hide. Basically, in this meeting that I said, they called the two factions. They played with our people. They invited them and said: we want to engage with the PDP leadership.
“And then, they got there and found out that Anyanwu and company had been called. I said, to begin with, that’s even nonsense. I mean, excuse my language. Sometimes when I get angry, I can talk.
“Then why didn’t they call Damagun? It was Anyanwu the secretary when Damagun was there. And the notice that came to INEC was a notice signed by both Damagun and Anyanwu. He basically wanted to, you know, ask that Anyanwu be expelled from the NEC.
“But the people, you know, the leaders came and said, look, let’s not do that. Let’s get the two of them together, you know, and all that. So, the Supreme Court already said, whoever your secretary is is an internal party matter.
“There was a Supreme Court ruling on the SDP, how many days ago, that said exactly the same thing. So, we had a proper convention here. And Wike and the rest of those people were expelled, and they have been expelled.
“Even if the court says, look, the convention is invalid, which I don’t think is possible, because even the Supreme Court has already said, look, internal party affairs are internal party affairs. Therefore, they can only delay things. But there may be unintended consequences for trying to kill the PDP.
“There’s a danger that if you do that, you could, you know, unknowingly kill democracy in this country, God forbid. So that’s my position,” the governor said.
Recall that the governor was one of five governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), known as G5, who worked against the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2023 elections. The group opposed Atiku’s candidacy on zoning grounds, insisting that the PDP should have fielded a candidate from the south after the eight-year term of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Makinde then recounted a meeting attended by President Tinubu, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike and others.
He alleged that during the meeting, Wike volunteered to “hold the PDP” from Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections, a statement Makinde said surprised him.
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He clarified that the President did not ask Wike to make such a promise.
Makinde stressed that while Wike is free to support Tinubu, he had decided not to do so and believes that every individual should be allowed to make their own political decisions.
The governor warned that attempts by agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government to weaken or destroy the PDP could have unintended consequences, including the erosion of Nigeria’s multi-party democracy, while calling on all democrats to resist any plot to impose a one-party system in the country.
Explaining his decision to support Tinubu, then APC presidential candidate, Makinde said he was driven by what he believed to be the national interest, but it was regrettable that the president refused to lead “a government of national unity, a government of national competence.”
“I said it before, I’m human. I supported the current president, even if he was in another party, because I thought he would do the right thing for the country,” the governor said.
He added that he truly believed that Tinubu would bring together competent Nigerians from all parties to “reset the country” and address its challenges.
“But unfortunately, that is not what we are seeing. I regret that action. Yes, I am sorry,” Makinde said.
The governor then added that President Tinubu would not enjoy his support in the 2027 elections, stressing that the survival of democracy and the future of the PDP are at stake.
He explained that at the beginning of Tinubu’s administration, the president asked him to appoint someone as Minister of Economic Planning, which he did.
However, he said that the president did not choose his candidate, but rather chose another person and appointed him Minister of Energy.
Makinde noted that he told the President that “if you have selected the Minister of Energy because you want him to help you organize APC in Oyo State, he does not have the capacity.
“The president said: ‘no, no, it is you who I want to help organize APC in Oyo State’ and I said: ‘no, I am from the PDP’.”
Responding to questions on his political future, Makinde said his qualifications for the highest office in the land were not in doubt, highlighting his record as governor of Oyo State.
He argued that executive experience at the state level has historically prepared leaders for the presidency, citing President Tinubu’s own journey from being governor of Lagos State to the presidency.
Makinde also highlighted his professional experience outside of politics, noting that he successfully ran a private company from the age of 29.
“I’ve heard that too, people saying, ‘Oh, is Seyi trying to position himself for the 2027 presidency?’ Let me make this very clear: to serve this country at the highest level, I am qualified, even overqualified. I have led Oyo State. Even the current president: what brought him to the table? He was governor of Lagos State.
“By the end of May 2027, by the grace of God, if God spares my life, I would have completed two terms as governor of Oyo State. Professionally, I ran a company from a very young age, at the age of 29,” he said.
Regarding the PDP defections before 2027, the governor stated that he was not bothered by the action of the governors, pointing out that issues on the ground and the people will decide their fate in subsequent elections and not the defecting governors.
“Well, first let me make a clarification. When you see the governors, they say they are defecting. A classic case is the last election. Governor of Delta State, he was the vice president candidate of the PDP, incumbent governor of Delta State. But Atiku lost in his state.
“So, you’re talking about elites and all that stuff, governors. What about the people? What are they doing? What are they saying? What are the people, what are they telling us? So it doesn’t bother me. I’ll still say that.
“In fact, people should write it down. What the Nigerian people will show to the politicians and the elite in 2027, we cannot imagine now. And when they say the governors have defected and all that, what about the hunger? Where is the hunger and anger on earth? Has it defected?”