Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde on Thursday met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, a development that has fuelled political speculation amid ongoing realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Makinde, a prominent figure in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), arrived at the Presidential Villa shortly after Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who recently defected from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He proceeded directly to the President’s office, though details of the meeting were not immediately disclosed.
The Oyo governor is a leading member of the G-5 group of PDP governors who opposed the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election. The group had argued that the PDP’s zoning principle favoured a southern presidential candidate after former President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year tenure.
Other members of the G-5 included former Rivers State governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; ex-Benue State governor Samuel Ortom; former Enugu State governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; and former Abia State governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
However, Makinde and Wike have since fallen out. Makinde recently disclosed that their rift followed a meeting with President Tinubu in which Wike allegedly pledged to “hold the PDP” for the President’s 2027 re-election bid without consulting other party stakeholders.
According to Makinde, while Wike has the right to support President Tinubu, others within the PDP are determined to preserve opposition politics and prevent Nigeria from drifting toward a one-party state.
“The President did not ask him; he volunteered it,” Makinde said, adding that attempts to persuade Wike to reconsider were unsuccessful. He also stated clearly that he would not support President Tinubu in 2027.
As of the time of filing this report, the purpose and outcome of Makinde’s meeting with the President remained unknown.
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