- Safiu Kehinde
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has dismissed having feud with President Bola Tinubu as the governor paid a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa.
Makinde who is renowned for his criticism of the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration paid a surprise visit to the President on Thursday.
The Oyo governor reportedly arrived at the Aso Villa around 3:30pm and held a close-door meeting with the President.
Addressing newsmen after the meeting, Makinde held that his visit had no political undertone while maintaining that him and President enjoy cordial relationship despite his criticism of the APC administration.
“No, no, there’s nothing I’ve said in the past that suggests we are not enjoying a harmonious relationship,” he said.
Makinde said President Tinubu is not only the President of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) but the President of all Nigerians.
He disclosed that he had only visited the President to discuss governance issues.
“Well, the President is the President of Nigeria, not the President of the APC, and we’re talking about governance here,
“So, I came to discuss with the President some governance issues, basically.” Makinde said.
Asked if he would soon join the APC, Makinde affirmed that he is comfortable in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“No, I’m comfortable in the PDP and again, we may have issues in this country where you need a bipartisan approach where it won’t be an issue of maybe APC talking alone or PDP talking alone, where we will have to look at what is the best foot forward in the interest of our nation.
“So when you get to that junction, you need everybody on board,” Makinde said.
He noted that while he and the President belong to different political parties, Nigeria remains a project that all citizens must be concerned about, regardless of political affiliation.
“Politics is politics. We belong to different political parties, but Nigeria is a project that all Nigerians must be concerned about, particularly the welfare of our people. What are the governance issues? Issues like insecurity and poverty alleviation.
“There are matters that have no party affiliation. As leaders, whether President or Governor of a state, these are issues we must work together on, consult with one another, and ensure we can make life a little better for our people,” Makinde said.