* Makinde
The Pathfinder
Wednesday December 24, 2025
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Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has said he is “qualified” to rule Nigeria as a democratically elected president, speaking amid growing speculations about his presidential and 2027.
In a meeting with journalists in Ibadan on Tuesday, Makinde pointed to his tenure as governor and his professional career as proof of his capacity to lead the country. “Let me make this very clear: to serve this country at the highest level, I am qualified I’m even overqualified,” he stated.
Drawing a parallel with President Bola Tinubu, Makinde said, “I ran Oyo State, even the current president, what brought him to the table? He was governor of Lagos State for two terms. By the end of May 2027, by God’s grace and God sparing my life, I will have completed a full tenure as a two-term governor of Oyo State.”
He also highlighted his corporate experience, noting that he ran his own company from a young age and later worked for multinational oil giants like Shell, ExxonMobil, and Chevron.
While positioning himself as a capable leader, Makinde clarified that it is too early to formally declare for the 2027 presidential race. He also used the occasion to critique the political trend of cross-party defections, arguing that it weakens democracy.
“Governors are defecting from one party to the other, but have hunger and anger in the land also defected?” he asked, warning that such movements do not serve the nation’s interests and that Nigerians deserve a robust opposition and a functioning multi-party democracy.
He added that while the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, his former ally, is free to support Tinubu again in 2027, he would not do so.
“I was in a meeting with President Tinubu, Nyesom Wike and others when Wike volunteered to hold the PDP for Tinubu ahead of 2027, and I was shocked,” Makinde said. “Wike can support the president in 2027, but I will not.”
According to the governor, his immediate focus is on ensuring the survival and rebuilding of the PDP, which he said has been weakened by mass defections of governors, lawmakers and other key party members.
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