- Safiu Kehinde
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has accused the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, volunteering to destabilising the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ensure President Bola Tinubu’s re-election by 2027.
Makinde made the allegation during a media parley at the Oyo government house in Ibadan on Tuesday.
Speaking on the reason behind his feud with Wike, the Oyo governor recounted how Wike had at one of their meetings with Tinubu vowed to hold the PDP for him against 2027.
“I don’t beef anybody, but the real issue is that I was in a meeting with the President and Wike. I’m saying this in an open chat, the President’s Chief of Staff was also in that meeting and few others.
“Wike said to the President that ‘well Sir, I will hold PDP for you against 2027. I was in shock. When we got to the verrandah, I said ‘Wike did we agree to this?’
“I don’t like talking about people and I will not talk about people or talk about event. But I will talk about the real issue.” Makinde said.
While acknowledging Wike’s freedom of association, the governor however disclosed challenging the Minister after his insistence on destabilising the party.
“The real issue is that Wike will like to support the President for 2027. That’s fine. It is within his right.
“Also, some of us that wants to ensure that democracy survive in Nigeria, we don’t drift into a one-party state, and we want to ensure that PDP survives. They should also allow us to do our own thing.
“That is just the issue between me and Wike. And I confided in a mutual friend of ours after that meeting. And I kept thinking okay the President did not ask him do this for me. He was the one that volunteered that I would do that.
“When I was telling our mutual friend, I said look, maybe he was talking about an errand that the President never sent him. Let’s engage and see if he will back off but he never did.
“After he didn’t back off, then I said now it’s time to confront him because I told hm that day that I will be a part of this.” Makinde added.