Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has escalated a simmering political feud with Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, alleging that the former Rivers State governor privately told President Bola Ahmed Tinubu he would “hold the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for him” ahead of the 2027 general elections — a move Makinde says threatens Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.
Makinde made the explosive claim during a media chat in Ibadan on Tuesday, saying he personally witnessed Wike, amid a closed-door meeting with President Tinubu and other senior figures, offer to deliver the PDP’s support to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of 2027 — a suggestion, Makinde insists, that was not solicited by the president.
“I was in a meeting with the President and Wike and a few others, and Wike said to the President that he would ‘hold PDP for you against 2027.’ I was in shock,” Makinde said, describing the remark as a unilateral political offer that took him by surprise.
The governor said the comment immediately raised alarm bells for him, prompting a direct confrontation with Wike once the meeting moved outdoors. “I asked him, ‘Wike, did we agree to this?’,” Makinde recalled.
The roots of the current dispute trace back to the 2023 general elections, when Makinde, Wike, and three other PDP governors — the so-called G5 — broke ranks with their party’s leadership to support Tinubu’s presidential bid instead of the PDP’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar. Wike has since accepted a ministerial appointment in the Tinubu administration, fueling suspicions among party loyalists that he has aligned more closely with the ruling APC.
The G5 split exposed deep fissures within the PDP, leading to intense infighting. Makinde has positioned himself as a defender of the party’s independence, while Wike’s position has increasingly been seen as aligned with the federal government.
In the same interview, Makinde disclosed that President Tinubu personally asked him to help organise the APC in Oyo State, a request he flatly declined, reaffirming his loyalty to the PDP and his resistance to actions he sees as weakening the opposition.
“The president wants me to organise APC in Oyo State, but I told him I can’t … because I belong to the PDP,” Makinde said, adding that his refusal was rooted in principle rather than personal rivalry.
Makinde further emphasised that every politician has the right to independent choice. “Wike can support the president if he wants, but I will not,” he said, highlighting his determination to preserve an opposition voice in Nigeria’s democratic landscape.
PDP Crisis Deepens: Expulsions and Factionalism
The party’s internal crisis has since spilled into open contention. A Wike-aligned faction of the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) recently endorsed the expulsion of Makinde and other prominent members for alleged anti-party activities — a move that has intensified factional tension.
Supporters of Makinde, however, have countered claims that he is to blame for the party’s troubles, instead singling out Wike as the central figure behind the crisis. A PDP support group, Frontiers for Change and Progress, accused Wike of shifting blame and manipulating narratives to undermine party cohesion.
Makinde has framed the dispute not as a personal feud, but as a defining moment for Nigeria’s democracy, arguing that moves to weaken the PDP risk sliding the country towards a one-party state.
He reiterated that while Wike and others are free to pursue their choices, “political loyalty should not override democratic choice,” emphasising the need for a strong, viable opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
As the PDP navigates its internal divisions, political watchers say the fallout from the Makinde-Wike rift could have far-reaching consequences for opposition unity and Nigeria’s broader political balance heading into one of the most consequential elections in recent history.
