Proponents of Governor Seyi Makinde’s potential presidential run appear to have two possible motives – to exacerbate divisions within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or to look for a formidable candidate from the Southwest to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid. However, it remains unclear whether the governor is aware of these underlying strategies, SEYE OLUMIDE reports.
THE permutation about Governor Seyi Makinde’s presidential aspiration has sparked diverse reactions among Nigerians. To many, it is too early to distract the incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has not spent two years in office and is still battling with the effects of his economic reforms that are yet to impact the lives of Nigerians positively.
However, others see merit in the Oyo State governor’s ambition, arguing that it could serve as a catalyst for improved governance by keeping the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on its toes, hence underscoring the complex interplay between governance and political ambition.
There is speculation that Makinde’s announcement and denial might be a strategic move to gauge public opinion rather than a definitive commitment to run. Many Nigerians have interpreted this political posturing as a signal of a potential rift between Makinde and Tinubu, possibly ending their previous political alignment.
It is worth noting that the race for the 2027 presidency began in the minds of many politicians immediately the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Tinubu as the winner of the February 25, 2023 presidential election. This early jockeying for position underscores the perpetual nature of political campaigning in Nigeria’s dynamic political landscape.
During the last general election, Makinde’s name was prevalent in the news as one of the strong PDP governors that formed G-5. The group was led by former governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who withdrew their support from the presidential candidate of the party, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, because of the party’s insensitivity to the zoning formula as entrenched in its constitution.
Makinde was one of the strategists of the G-5, who did not only rebuff the grand mega presidential campaign of Atiku in Ibadan, but also openly surrendered the PDP platform in Oyo State to the election of the APC candidate, which gave Tinubu victory across the 33 local councils of the state over Atiku.
The governor also allegedly sacrificed the three senatorial districts seats to APC, only for him to surprisingly stage a come-back to defeat the candidate of the APC, Teslim Folarin, in the March 18, 2023 governorship election even as the PDP won all the state’s House of Assembly seats.
Makinde and the G-5, however, had a political alliance with Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, which culminated in Wike’s eventual appointment as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. It was gathered that Makinde felt shortchanged with various political appointments made by the President as he could not secure ministerial appointments for his loyalists, who sacrificed to ensure his victory at the poll.
The wedge between the Oyo State governor and President Tinubu became more pronounced when the President secured financial autonomy for local councils through the Supreme Court, which Makinde publicly criticised.
The governor did not stop there; he also ensured that the Oyo State council chairmen pulled out of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), after which he began the campaign against the economic hardship and policies of the Federal Government.
Thus, the event of October 18, 2024 was seen in many political circles as strategically organised to declare his readiness to tackle President Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. Although the event was planned to host PDP press corps members in Ibadan, where he showcased his projects in the Southwest state, Makinde’s supporters used the gathering to rally support for his presidential ambition with the launch of the hashtag #MakindeForPresident.
Interestingly, the official social media handle of the PDP in the state has been using the hashtag #MakindeForPresident while posting photos and videos of the governor’s signature projects.
Recently, Tinubu appointed Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe as the Director-General and Global Liaison for the Nigeria-China strategic partnership reached by the two countries during the President’s visit to that country in September this year. However, Makinde has not issued a public congratulatory message to Tegbe till now neither has the PDP in Oyo State. It was learnt that both Makinde and PDP were confused about how Tegbe, a close ally of the governor and senatorial candidate of PDP Oyo South in the last general election, got the appointment.
An inside source said one of the grouses Makinde has against Tegbe’s new job is that he was not contacted before the appointment and saw it as an attempt to cause division among his supporters.
But speaking on Makinde’s presidential ambition, his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Pastor Olarenwaju Sulaimon, said there was nothing like that when contacted. He said his principal is more concerned about developing Oyo State for now while also focusing on how to reposition the PDP ahead of the 2027 elections.
However, with Makinde’s declaration that nobody can set an agenda for him and that the 2027 elections will be between the ruling party and Nigerians, pundits believe that the cold battle between him and the President has been blown open.
Meanwhile, another school of thought believes that the Presidency may be flying the kite and using Makinde’s rumoured presidential ambition to further divide PDP. They hinge their suspicion on the close relationship between Makinde and Wike who has not hidden his determination to support Tinubu’s second term ambition.
Reacting to the insinuation, Makinde disagreed with those accusing the ruling party of interfering with other political parties in the country so as not to have opposition in the next general election. Rather, he charged leaders of the PDP to look inwards and see how they can work together and salvage the country, adding that the next election will be between the ruling party and Nigerians.
One of the governor’s close allies, who pleaded for anonymity, told The Guardian that it would be foolhardy of any political thinker to say that the Oyo State governor is not interested in contesting for the presidency in 2027 .
“There is no crime if the governor seeks to be elected as president in 2027. He has the academic qualifications; he has governed Oyo twice and we are all seeing his achievements,” the source said.
He noted that Makinde is still very young and healthy at 54, further describing him as a serious and astute administrator who also has the financial wherewithal to bankroll his ambition.
He also pointed out that the governor is equally well connected, adding that “to undermine his political and presidential ambition is like committing political suicide.”
But a chieftain of the APC in Lagos State said it has become obvious that the 2027 return bid of President Tinubu might not be that easy as many youths may not vote for him. He also said that the North may not necessarily want to truncate the second term of the South; hence the region is looking for someone whose charisma can reach the youth.
Makinde perfectly fits into the project from the South since northerners may not likely be favourably disposed to an Igbo presidency in 2027.
He also said the whole story surrounding Makinde’s 2027 presidential ambition might be coming from the Presidency as a decoy.
Speaking on the issue, a chieftain of the APC in Osun State, Alhaji Liad Tella, said there is no qualm about Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. The media administrator and social scientist said by this time in 2025, the incumbent government must have addressed the economic hardship to such an extent that Nigerians would be singing the president’s praises.
“Please quote me on that,” he said. “I don’t see Makinde contesting against Tinubu just as I do not see the North totally working against the incumbent government. Politics is deeper than the surface analysis many people are doing.”
However, while the permutations for the 2027 presidential polls are already ongoing, some scholars have accused the political leaders of neglecting basic governance but focusing on politics.
President of the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, Akin Malaolu, said anybody from any part of Nigeria can aspire to contest against Tinubu since the rotational presidency agreement was destroyed last year when the Southeast region was supposed to have been allowed to produce the president.
He, however, said Makinde should rather concentrate on how to rebuild Nigeria and sustain its unity more than his personal ambition.
He also advised the Oyo State governor to concentrate on how to resolve the internal crisis in PDP and make it a formidable opposition that can compete favourably and wrestle power from APC in 2027.
Malaolu, who called for the convocation of a national conference before the next general election, warned that, “if Nigeria goes for another presidential election without addressing fundamental issues of her unity, it might spell doom.”
Former General Secretary of Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), Dr. Kunle Olajide, said it doesn’t make sense if any Yoruba man is aspiring to contest against Tinubu. To him, “what should be paramount to us is how to rebuild the nation and enhance her unity.”
He added: “This is the first time I am seeing a serious and determined effort by a president to address the fundamental issues affecting Nigeria and he should not be distracted at this moment.”
[The Guardian]
