Wike Attacks Makinde As Oyo Gov Declares Presidential Bid

By Igho Oyoyo and Waheed Adebayo

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has formally declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), triggering an immediate backlash from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who dismissed his quest as “dead on arrival”.

Makinde made the declaration yesterday during a joint mega rally organised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APM at Mapo Hall in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

“The time to reset Nigeria is now. Therefore, today, I, Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, announce my candidacy for the position of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the governor told supporters at the rally.

Makinde said Nigeria’s socio-economic conditions had continued to worsen, leaving many citizens struggling daily for survival.

According to him, government officials entrusted with the welfare of Nigerians had failed in their responsibilities.

“This is why, for the past several months, one question has been at the top of my mind: where do we go from here? Is this how we should continue as a nation?” he said.

“We have been pushed to the wall with the belief that we will turn against ourselves or, worse still, that we will become too weary surviving on a daily basis to fight back.”

The governor also rejected claims that opposition parties could not unite ahead of the 2027 elections.

“They said opposition cannot unite, but I am here today to say that it is a miscalculation. The opposition in Nigeria is not just a political party. The opposition is the everyday Nigerian for whom the country does not work,” he added.

Makinde further explained that the alliance between the PDP and APM would enable both parties to field candidates for all elective positions in the 2027 general elections.

“So today in Ibadan, the first grand alliance is formed — the alliance of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Allied Peoples Movement.

“This handshake will allow us to field candidates at all levels. We will field candidates from top to bottom, from the presidency to state assemblies and everything in between,” he declared.

Earlier, Makinde led the Taminu Turaki faction of the PDP in Oyo State to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the APM as part of preparations for the elections.

The governor and the national chairman of the APM, Yusuf Dantalle, signed the agreement on behalf of both parties.

Under the arrangement, candidates aligned with the PDP faction for governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and State Assembly positions are expected to contest under the APM platform in 2027.

Wike Fires Back

However, in his reaction, FCT Minister Wike dismissed Makinde’s presidential ambition and denied the existence of any formal alliance between the PDP and APM.

Speaking with journalists during an inspection of ongoing road projects in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Wike described the purported coalition as fraudulent.

“That’s the 419 we are talking about. INEC also knows that there is no such thing as a PDP-APM alliance,” Wike said.

The former Rivers State governor accused some opposition figures of misleading Nigerians with claims of a formal Memorandum of Understanding between both parties.

He stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had no record of any alliance, insisting that the PDP remained independent in its preparations for the 2027 elections.

“The screening of aspirants by the Abdulrahman Mohammed PDP faction clearly indicates that the party is independent and not in any alliance,” he stated.

Wike further alleged that Makinde’s move was aimed solely at advancing his presidential ambition outside the PDP structure.

“What you have is Seyi Makinde joining APM to be able to actualise his presidential ambition, which is already dead on arrival,” he said.

The minister maintained that the PDP would present its own presidential candidate in 2027 and urged Nigerians to ignore speculation about any merger or coalition arrangement.

“It’s unfortunate. We know that has been his game plan, and we would say he cannot fly the flag of PDP,” Wike added.

The FCT minister declined to comment on internal matters within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying party disputes were internal affairs.

During the project inspection, Wike expressed satisfaction with work on the 13-kilometre Gomani-Yangoji road project, which he said was scheduled for inauguration during activities marking President Bola Tinubu’s third anniversary in office in June.

According to him, the project reflects the federal government’s policy of extending infrastructure development to satellite communities to reduce rural-urban migration.

“Remember that when we came on board, one of the directives of Mr President was that we should not concentrate development and provision of infrastructure only in the cities; we must open up all the satellite towns in order to discourage rural-urban migration,” Wike said.

PDP Disowns Alliance

Similarly, the PDP on Thursday distanced itself from the Ibadan rally and denied involvement in any alliance or coalition with the APM.

The party also disclosed that it had petitioned the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) over attempts by a faction to establish what it described as an Interim National Working Committee.

Addressing journalists at the party’s national headquarters at Wadata Plaza in Abuja, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, described reports linking the party with the Ibadan gathering as misleading.

The party accused Makinde of attempting to create what it called a false impression of political relevance.

“We have called this press briefing to address the misleading narratives and deliberate falsehood being circulated concerning the social gathering in Ibadan under the guise of an alliance between the PDP and the APM,” the statement read.

The PDP insisted that it had not entered into any coalition arrangement with the APM or any other political party for that matter.

“Let us state clearly and unequivocally that the PDP is not part of any alliance, coalition, agreement, or political arrangement with the Allied Peoples Movement or any other political party regarding this gathering or any related political activity,” the party stated.

It warned that any individual or group claiming to represent the PDP at the event lacked the party’s approval or authority.