Seyi Makinde opens up on plan to challenge Tinubu in 2027, says he’s qualified and old enough

Gover of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde has opened up on a plan to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general election.

There have been insinuations that the Oyo governor plans to run for the office of the president in 2027.

The governor whose second term maximum tenure will elapse in 2027 was among the G5-governors who worked for Tinubu to defeat Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and others in the 2023 general elections.

The agenda gained more attention after Makinde challenged Tinubu’s claim that the Federal Government disbursed N570 billion to the 36 states. Makinde clarified that the funds weren’t a direct allocation from the Federal Government, but rather World Bank COVID-19 funds, with the Federal Government acting as an intermediary.

He explained that the states received reimbursement from the World Bank for their COVID-19 expenses, contingent on what they had already spent on pandemic programs. Essentially, the World Bank reimbursed the states for their prior expenditures on COVID-19 initiatives.

However speaking on the development for the first time with reporters during a visit to Fashola farm in Oyo town on Friday, Makinde stated that speculations about his political future were unnecessary and unsolicited.

The governor stated that he is old enough to speak for himself on any issue without fear or intimidation, adding that he would do so publicly if he had anything to say about his political future.

He said, “We didn’t host the PDP reporters’ retreat because somebody has a presidential ambition. No comment, nothing. But all I can say to you is, I’m old enough if I want to do something, I will come out and say, this is what I want to do.

“So, no speculation, nobody can push my agenda. I will push my agenda when the time comes.”

Makinde recalled that with the support of the people of Oyo State, he defied several odds, including two failed Senate attempts before his election as Governor

He said, “Oyo State people took a decision in 2019. We did not have a godfather. Nobody sponsored me, and nobody gave me a dime for us to get in here, but the people of Oyo State decided we wanted to give this opportunity to an outsider.

“And before that, you will see videos saying that, Oh, Seyi, what has he done before? Has he been a councillor? No. Has he been to the House of Representatives? No. What about the Senate? I tried twice but was rejected.

“So, experience in politics – No experience in governance, but I’ve done well for myself in business, and they said we’ll give you the opportunity. Before that time, the whole of the South-West was APC, consisting of six states.

“But in Oyo State, we chose to be different. Because I had no experience, I wanted to convince the people.

“We produced a document, Road Map to accelerated development of Oyo State, 2019-2023, and I said to the people, this is it in black and white, hold me accountable, and they gave us the opportunity. Thank God it is being done. “

The governor also cautioned Nigerians against allowing the country to slide into a one-party state.

He said, “Nigeria must not slide into a one-party state so that others will have the opportunity to showcase their talents.”