By Bayo Wahab
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has said he regrets supporting President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, admitting that the decision did not produce the outcome he had hoped for.
Makinde made the disclosure on Tuesday while speaking with journalists at the Government House in Ibadan.
The governor was one of five Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors — popularly known as the G5 — who openly worked against their party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2023 polls.
The group, led by then Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, opposed Atiku’s candidacy over zoning concerns, arguing that the PDP should have presented a southern presidential candidate following the eight-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner.
Makinde said his decision to back Tinubu, who was then the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was based on the belief that he would act in the national interest if elected.
“I said it earlier, I’m human. I supported the current president, even though in another party at that time, because I thought we’ll do what is right for the country,” Makinde said.
He added that he believed the president would “reset the country” and bring together competent individuals from across Nigeria to address the nation’s challenges.
“But unfortunately, that is not what we’re seeing. I regret that action. Yes, I do,” the governor stated.
Citing concerns over the survival of democracy and the future of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the governor vowed that President Tinubu won’t have his support in the coming 2027 presidential election.
Makinde also disclosed the reason behind his political disagreement with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
According to him, the rift between him and Wike began after the minister told Tinubu during a meeting that he would “hold PDP” for the President ahead of the 2027 election, a statement Makinde said was made without 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 said. “So, we got up, and I asked Wike, did we agree to this?”
Makinde noted that while Wike is entitled to support Tinubu’s re-election bid, other members of the party also have the right to protect the PDP and oppose any move that could weaken democratic pluralism.
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