*Pix above: Gov Seyi Makinde
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde is seeking to unseat his own tribesman Bola Tinubu from Presidency come next general election, reliable sources confirm.
To this end, a WhatsApp group has been established to promote the governor’s potential presidential bid in 2027.
The group, which currently boasts of 467 members, includes prominent individuals such as Olajide Odidiomo, a member of the House of Representatives representing Ibadan Northwest/Southwest.
Notably, several of Governor Makinde’s aides are also part of the group, including his personal assistant on political matters, Akeem Azeez, SaharaReporters learnt.
Additionally, officials from local government councils are also participating in the WhatsApp group.
The group’s members have expressed their support for Seyi Makinde’s presidential aspirations, citing his “people-oriented” approach to governance and leadership style as reasons why they believe he is the most suitable candidate for the position.
Although Makinde, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a second-term governor, has not officially announced his presidential ambitions, the presence of his aides and a House of Representatives member on the WhatsApp group promoting his candidacy is noteworthy.
Although Seyi Makinde who was a member of G5 Governors had supported the emergence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the president in the 2023 election against his party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, he has, however, recently been at odds with the Tinubu-led administration over local government administration, disagreeing with the Supreme Court’s ruling on local government autonomy and arguing that it may not accurately reflect the realities on the ground.
The development made the Local government chairpersons in Oyo State withdraw their membership from the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling on local government.(agency)/ ###
