Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde,
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has openly admitted that he regrets supporting President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, saying the decision failed to deliver the national renewal he had expected.
Makinde made the disclosure on Tuesday while addressing journalists at the Government House in Ibadan.
The governor was a prominent member of the G5 group—five governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)—who openly broke ranks with their party and opposed its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, during the 2023 polls.
Led by former Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike, the G5 justified their position on zoning grounds, arguing that after the eight-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari, the PDP ought to have presented a southern presidential candidate.
Makinde explained that his decision to back Tinubu, who was then the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was based on his belief that Tinubu would prioritise national interest over partisan considerations.
“I said it earlier, I’m human. I supported the current president, even though he was in another party at the time, because I believed he would do what was right for the country,” the governor said.
According to Makinde, he had hoped the president would “reset the country” and assemble competent Nigerians across political, regional, and professional lines to tackle the nation’s challenges.
“But unfortunately, that is not what we’re seeing. I regret that action. Yes, I do,” he added.
Raising concerns about the survival of democracy and the future of the PDP, Makinde declared that President Tinubu would not have his support in the 2027 presidential election.
The Oyo governor also explained the reason behind his political fallout with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. He said the rift began after Wike allegedly told the President, during a meeting, that he would “hold PDP” for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election—without consulting or securing the consent of other party stakeholders.
“I was in a meeting with the President and Wike and a few others, and Wike said to the President that I will hold PDP for you against 2027,” Makinde recounted. “So, we got up, and I asked Wike, did we agree to this?”
Makinde stressed that while Wike is entitled to his personal political choices, other members of the PDP also have a responsibility to protect the party and resist any move that could weaken democratic pluralism in Nigeria.
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