By Ayomide Otitoju
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Tuesday said he will not support President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections and urged Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to allow others make their own political choices.
Speaking during a media chat in Ibadan, Makinde recalled a meeting with Tinubu and Wike, where he claimed the former Rivers State governor offered to “hold the PDP” for Tinubu in 2027, a statement that surprised him.
“I was in a meeting with President Tinubu, Nyesom Wike, and others when Wike volunteered to hold the PDP for Tinubu against 2027, and I was in shock,” Makinde said. “Wike can support the president in 2027, but I will not.”
The governor stressed that his immediate priority is to ensure the survival of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), insisting that Wike cannot dictate political decisions to others.
Both Makinde and Wike, former allies within the PDP, supported Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 elections as part of the G5 group of PDP governors, which also included Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), and Samuel Ortom (Benue). The group backed Tinubu after the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, refused to step aside for a southern replacement, arguing that the party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was from the same region as Ayu.
However, following Tinubu’s victory, tensions have risen between Makinde and Wike. The PDP recently suspended Wike and other senior members, including former Governor Ayodele Fayose, over alleged anti-party activities—a claim Wike has denied.
Despite the rift, Wike has maintained his membership in the PDP and continues to assert that he plans to back Tinubu in the next presidential election.
