Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has said he is qualified to lead Nigeria, even as he distances himself from moves by some senior members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to align with President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.
Makinde spoke on Tuesday during a media parley with selected journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, where he addressed growing speculation about his presidential ambition, the deepening crisis within the PDP, and the widening political rift between him and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
“Let me make this very clear: to serve this country at the highest level, I am qualified—I’m even overqualified,” Makinde said.
The governor, who is serving his second and final term in office, anchored his claim on his experience in governance and the private sector.
“I ran Oyo State, even the current president—what brought him to the table? He was governor of Lagos State for two terms. By the end of May 2027, by God’s grace and God sparing my life, I will have completed the full tenure as a two-term governor of Oyo State,” he said.
Makinde also cited his professional background as an engineer, noting that he built a private business from a young age without reliance on government patronage.
“Professionally, I ran a company from a very young age. At 29, some of my colleagues were still finishing their youth service. I ran the company, and people can go out there and check — I did not go to NNPC or the like. I was working for multinational oil companies, including Shell, ExxonMobil, and Chevron,” he said.
Despite the comments, the governor said it was too early to formally declare interest in the 2027 presidential race, stressing that his immediate concern was the survival of the PDP, which has been weakened by mass defections of governors and lawmakers to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to him, the steady movement of opposition figures to the APC does not support the growth of Nigeria’s democracy.
“Nigerians want a viable democracy with strong opposition parties,” he said, criticising what he described as the depletion of the PDP’s ranks.
Makinde, however, drew a clear line between his political choices and those of Wike, his former ally in the G5 bloc of PDP governors who supported Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election. While acknowledging Wike’s right to support the president again, Makinde said he would not follow the same path in 2027.
“I was in a meeting with President Tinubu, Nyesom Wike, and others when Wike volunteered to hold the PDP for Tinubu against 2027, and I was in shock,” Makinde said. “Wike can support the president in 2027, but I will not.”
He added that Wike should allow others within the party to make their own political decisions.
“Allow us to make our choice,” Makinde said, reiterating that his priority was to ensure that “PDP survives”.
Makinde and Wike were key members of the G5 governors—alongside former governors Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, and Samuel Ortom of Benue—who broke ranks with the PDP during the 2023 elections following disagreements over zoning and party leadership.
Since the election, relations between Makinde and Wike have deteriorated further. The PDP recently held a convention in Oyo State, during which Wike and other senior party figures, including former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, were suspended by a faction aligned with Makinde. Wike has rejected the action and insists he remains a member of the PDP, while repeatedly stating his intention to back Tinubu in 2027.
Makinde said the party must urgently resolve its internal disputes or risk further erosion of its influence.
“At this point, what matters to me is the survival of the PDP,” he said, adding that the party must rebuild itself to remain relevant as an opposition force ahead of the next general election.
