“Wike Can Support President  Tinubu In 2027, But I Will Not” – Makinde 

The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has promised that he will not back President Bola Tinubu’s bid for re-election in the 2027 polls.

Speaking during a press conference on Tuesday in Ibadan, the state capital, Makinde took a swipe at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, stating that others should be allowed to freely choose who they’ll support politically.

He explained that Wike cannot dictate political choices to others.

According to Makinde, he was in a meeting with Wike, President Tinubu, and a few others when the former Rivers State Governor declared that he would hold the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Tinubu in 2027.

The Oyo State Governor said Wike’s statement shocked him, and he (Makinde) won’t be part of such plans.

Makinde added that his resolve not to support Tinubu in 2027 hinges on the need to ensure democracy survives in Nigeria, the PDP remains a viable political party, and the country does not drift into a one-party state.

He said President Tinubu didn’t request Wike to hold the PDP for him, it was the FCT Minister who offered to hold the party for the president.

“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,” the governor said.

“Wike can support the president in 2027, but I will not.”

Both Wike and Makinde were part of the G5 Governors who openly supported Bola Tinubu of the APC against their own party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2023 presidential election.

However, after the election, which was won by Tinubu, Wike’s relationship with Makinde has deteriorated, with both men now supporting different factions of the PDP.