Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde on Thursday met with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, in a development that has drawn political attention amid ongoing tensions within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and early manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 elections.
Makinde arrived at the Presidential Villa shortly after Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang. President Tinubu held separate meetings with both governors, according to sources at the State House.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of Makinde’s recent public declaration that he would not support Tinubu’s re-election bid, citing concerns over what he described as the survival of democracy in Nigeria.
The PDP governor has also been vocal about his strained relationship with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. Makinde accused the former Rivers State governor of unilaterally pledging to “hold PDP” for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 polls without consulting other critical stakeholders within the party.
Makinde and Wike were key members of the G5 governors’ bloc that emerged during the buildup to the 2023 presidential election. The group, led by Wike, refused to support the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, insisting that the party’s presidential ticket should not come from the same region as its national chairman.
Despite Oyo being governed by the PDP, Tinubu, then the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, won the presidential election in the state.
Relations between Makinde and Wike further deteriorated after the 2023 polls, as both politicians became locked in a struggle for control of party structures, deepening internal divisions within the PDP.
Makinde told State House reporters after the meeting that he has no intention of leaving the PDP.
About the Author
