Makinde regrets backing Tinubu in 2023, says alliance failed to deliver unity

By Adejayan Gbenga

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has expressed regret over his decision to support President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, saying the alliance failed to deliver the national unity, fairness and competent leadership he had expected.

Makinde made this known during a live radio interview in Ibadan on Sunday, while explaining why he and other aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors backed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), instead of their party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the election.

The governor said his decision was driven by the expectation that Tinubu would prioritise national interest, assemble competent Nigerians from different parts of the country and address Nigeria’s economic and governance challenges. “I supported the current president, even though in another party at that time, because I thought, even though I never dealt directly with him, I thought we would do what is right for the country,” he said.

Explaining the crisis within the PDP ahead of the election, Makinde said the disagreement centred on fairness and regional balance, particularly after former President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years in office. He said the aggrieved governors believed the presidency should move to the South following Buhari’s two terms.

Makinde disclosed that he initially supported the presidential ambition of former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike within the PDP but became dissatisfied when the party nominated Atiku, a northerner, while Iyorchia Ayu remained its national chairman. The group subsequently demanded Ayu’s replacement with Taofeek Arapaja, then the party’s deputy national chairman (South), as part of efforts to address its concerns over fairness and representation.

According to the governor, the group eventually agreed to support Tinubu after an intermediary linked them with the APC candidate. He said their expectation was that a Tinubu-led administration would promote national cohesion, fairness and competence. “But even as a candidate, I must have mentioned it three or four times that our expectation would be a government of national unity; a government of national competence where you could start the process of resetting this country,” Makinde added.

However, the presidential candidate said he was dissatisfied with the administration’s performance in building an inclusive government. He also recalled recommending an indigene of Oyo State for the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, but said the person was not appointed to the portfolio. Tinubu subsequently appointed another Oyo indigene, Adebayo Adelabu, as minister of power.

The governor further said he rejected Tinubu’s alleged request for him to help organise the APC in Oyo State because he remained a PDP member. Makinde, who declared his presidential ambition in May 2026 under an alliance involving the PDP and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), stressed the importance of a viable opposition to democratic competition.