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Makinde Opens Up on Tinubu’s Broken 2023 Pact, Gives Presidency 34% Score
Makinde Opens Up on Tinubu’s Broken 2023 Pact, Gives Presidency 34% Score
Oyo governor reveals that his decision to support Tinubu in 2023 was based on a written agreement to form a government of national unity, which he alleges the President abandoned after winning the election.
He rates Tinubu’s administration at 34 per cent, accuses the APC of using blackmail to force opposition governors into its fold, and calls for a national political consensus.
The governor says he will accept defeat in the 2027 presidential election if the process is credible but may review his political future depending on Nigerians’ response to his agenda.
Makinde says Tinubu never called him during the 56-day captivity of abducted Oyo schoolchildren and teachers, despite his efforts to reach the President.
November 13, () – Three years after backing President Bola Tinubu against his own party’s presidential candidate, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has revealed that the political support was secured on the strength of a written agreement which he now accuses the President of abandoning.
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Makinde said the understanding, reached before the 2023 general election, was that Tinubu would establish a government of national unity if elected President, bringing different political interests into the administration rather than governing exclusively through the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor disclosed this in an interview with ARISE News anchor, Ojy Okpe, aired on Friday, where he maintained that the agreement influenced his decision to support Tinubu despite being a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
According to him, the document was not merely a political understanding but a signed commitment which he still possesses.
“I still have the agreement with us,” Makinde said, making clear that his grievance with the President was rooted in what he described as an unfulfilled commitment.
He recalled that the agreement was signed before Tinubu assumed office but alleged that the President failed to implement it after winning the election.
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“I’ve had a certain experience with him, you know, where an agreement was signed. And he didn’t keep to it,” he said.
Makinde questioned the justification for his support if the promised national unity arrangement had not materialised, insisting that the issue should be judged by its implications for the country rather than any personal benefit he might have expected.
“Tell us if the agreement was fulfilled. That’s wrong. Tell us if, not in terms of something personal, what has Nigeria got out of this? Are we having a government of national unity right now?” he asked.
His revelation reopens questions surrounding the political calculations that preceded the 2023 presidential election, when Makinde and other governors associated with the PDP’s G5 faction took positions that put them at odds with the party’s national leadership.
While the PDP nominated former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate, Makinde backed Tinubu, then the APC candidate, in a decision that generated controversy within the opposition party.
The governor said his support was neither an expression of ethnic solidarity nor a calculation aimed at securing his second term in Oyo State. Rather, he expected the proposed national unity government to provide a platform for political inclusion.
He also acknowledged the electoral uncertainty surrounding his decision, explaining that he could not predict how voters in Oyo State would react to his endorsement of a presidential candidate from another party while he was seeking re-election on the PDP platform.
President Bola Tinubu
Tinubu’s Government Score 34%
Beyond the alleged broken agreement, Makinde delivered a critical assessment of Tinubu’s performance, putting the administration’s score at 34 per cent.
The governor gave the rating during the same interview while discussing the Federal Government’s record in infrastructure, diplomacy and economic growth.
He linked the figure to the proportion of voters he said supported Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, arguing that the administration had a responsibility to reach Nigerians who did not vote for the President.
“It’s just about the same percentage as the people that supported him in 2023, 34 per cent. You need the 66 per cent of Nigerians that were against him in 2023 to be on board. This is a national project,” he said.
Makinde’s position was that the legitimacy of national governance should translate into broader political engagement, rather than an administration operating primarily within the interests of its party.
He also accused the APC of creating an atmosphere of intimidation around opposition governors, alleging that some were being pressured to abandon their political parties.
“Look at what we’ve seen. You have the governors come to APC. If you don’t, you’ll be blackmailed,” he alleged.
The allegation comes against the background of political defections that have strengthened the APC ahead of the 2027 general election.
Makinde Sets Conditions For Opposition Cooperation
Makinde’s criticism of Tinubu did not translate into a rejection of political cooperation across party lines. He indicated that his reservations were specific to his experience with the President and the alleged failure to honour their agreement
Asked about the possibility of working with Tinubu again, the governor referred to his dealings with Atiku and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi as contrasting experiences.
“I’ve not had that issue with him before, with Atiku Abubakar, or H.E. Peter Obi,” he said.
He also advocated an opposition arrangement capable of bringing political leaders together ahead of the next election, stressing that the country’s interests should take precedence over individual presidential ambitions.
Although he confirmed that consultations were taking place, Makinde did not announce a concluded coalition agreement or disclose the structure of any proposed alliance.
His position comes as opposition figures explore possible political partnerships to challenge the APC in 2027.
Makinde, who is seeking the presidency under the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), has placed national inclusion and a broader political consensus among the issues he wants addressed in the next administration.
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde
Makinde Says He Will Concede if 2027 Election is Credible
The governor also addressed the possibility of losing the 2027 presidential election, saying he would accept defeat if the process met the standards of a free, fair and credible election.
Asked whether he would concede defeat and return to farming if unsuccessful, Makinde said his acceptance would depend on the integrity of the electoral process.
“There are a few things that must happen. If the process is free, fair, and credible, yes, I will,” he said.
However, he was less definitive about his political future after the election, particularly whether he would continue in the APM irrespective of the outcome.
Makinde said that decision would depend on the reception his political agenda received from Nigerians.
“I may evaluate my political future depending on how Nigerians, you know, see this agenda,” he added.
Tinubu Never Called During 56-day Abduction Crisis
The governor also disclosed that Tinubu did not personally contact him during the 56-day captivity of pupils and teachers abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, despite his attempts to reach the President.
Makinde said he expected the President to contact him following the abduction, arguing that a major security crisis affecting any part of the country should attract the attention of the nation’s leader.
“I tried to see the President when our students and our children and their teachers were kidnapped, because I thought if any part of Nigeria is going through such a challenge, the President should be interested. Actually, I expected the President to call me,” he said.
Asked directly whether Tinubu eventually called him, Makinde replied: “He did not. No. Till tomorrow.”
He said he also attempted to reach the President through the State Chief of Protocol but did not receive a response.
The governor further maintained that he had not spoken directly with Tinubu about any matter, although he said he was not complaining about the situation.
“I’m saying it again that till tomorrow I’ve not spoken directly with the President, about anything. I’m just minding my own business, running Oyo State. And I’m not complaining,” he said.
Asked why relations between them had deteriorated, Makinde said he could only speculate that reports about his possible presidential ambition may have influenced the President’s disposition towards him.
“Well, I can only hazard a guess. Maybe some people went and told him, ‘Look, she may likely run against you.’ I don’t know. That may cause bad blood between us,” he said.
The abduction occurred on May 15, 2026, when gunmen attacked schools in Oriire Local Government Area and abducted pupils, students and teachers.
The victims were eventually rescued on July 10 after spending 56 days in captivity, following a coordinated security operation involving the military, police and the Department of State Services.
During the rescue operation, the Presidency announced that all the abducted pupils and teachers had been freed.
Tinubu had also publicly condemned the attack, expressed sympathy with Makinde and the affected families, and directed federal security agencies to intensify efforts to secure the victims’ release.
The Presidency and Tinubu had yet to respond to the allegations at the time of filing this report.
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