The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has launched a fresh political broadside against Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, dismissing claims about Makinde’s early financial success and recounting what he described as a series of political failures before the governor’s eventual rise in 2019.
Speaking pointedly at his ‘End of the Year Media Chat’, Wike said that at the time Makinde claimed to have made his first $1 million, he himself was already chairman of one of the most important local governments in the country, stressing that he chose political power over private contracting.
“That time Seyi Makinde made his $1 million, I was the chairman of one of the most important LGAs in this country. I didn’t choose to be a contractor. I chose to have power, and I have the power,” Wike said.
The former Rivers State governor further traced Makinde’s political journey, describing it as a succession of defeats prior to his emergence as Oyo State governor. According to Wike, Makinde contested the Oyo South senatorial seat under the Action National Party (ANPP) in 2007 but lost.
Wike added that in 2013, influential party figures approached him to hand over the Oyo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) structure to Makinde, a request he said he declined.
“In 2013, they brought him to me to give him Oyo State PDP structure. I refused and gave it to Teslim Folarin,” Wike stated.
Following that setback, Makinde reportedly moved to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to contest the governorship election but was again unsuccessful, despite what Wike described as his financial capacity at the time.
“He went to SDP to run for governor. He failed with his $1 million,” the minister said.
Wike concluded by asserting that Makinde only achieved political success in 2019 after being granted the PDP structure, emphasizing that while he (Wike) had no such financial claims, Makinde was actively searching for political platforms despite his wealth.
“It was in 2019 that we agreed to give him the structure. I was already grounded in politics, and I had no $1 million, but the man with $1 million was going around to look for people to give him structure,” Wike declared.
The comments have added another layer to the ongoing political tensions within the PDP, particularly among its influential figures, and are expected to provoke sharp reactions from Makinde’s camp and his supporters across Oyo State.
