The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that the presidential ambition of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, is “dead on arrival.”
Wike made the remark on Thursday while speaking with journalists during an inspection of road projects in Abuja, hours after Makinde publicly declared his presidential ambition in Ibadan.
The Oyo governor had made the declaration at a joint mega-rally of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Allied Peoples Movement, where he said the country’s condition had “continued to deteriorate, putting the majority of Nigerians on survival mode daily.”
Makinde also accused government officials of abandoning their responsibilities to citizens.
Reacting to the development, Wike dismissed reports of a political alliance between the PDP and APM, describing the arrangement as “fraud.”
“That’s the 419 we are talking about. INEC also knows that there is no such thing as a PDP-APM alliance,” Wike said.
The minister further accused some opposition figures of misleading Nigerians with claims of a formal agreement or memorandum of understanding between both parties.
According to him, the Independent National Electoral Commission has no record of any alliance between the PDP and APM, insisting that the PDP remains independent in its preparations for the 2027 general elections.
“The screening of aspirants by the Abdulrahman Mohammed PDP faction clearly indicates that the party is independent and not in any alliance,” he stated.
Wike also alleged that Makinde’s political moves were responsible for the claimed arrangement, maintaining that no coalition exists between the parties.
“What you have is Seyi Makinde joining APM to be able to actualise his presidential ambition, which is already dead on arrival,” he said.
The FCT minister stressed that the PDP would field its own presidential candidate in 2027 and urged Nigerians to disregard speculation about any merger or coalition.
Referring further to Makinde, Wike said, “It’s unfortunate. We know that has been his game plan, and we would say he cannot fly the flag of PDP.”
When asked to comment on internal matters within the All Progressives Congress, Wike declined, saying party disputes remain internal affairs.
Earlier during the inspection tour, the minister expressed satisfaction with the progress of the 13-kilometre Gomani-Yangoji road project, noting that it was on course for inauguration during activities marking the third anniversary of President Bola Tinubu in office in June.
Wike said the project aligns with the administration’s policy of extending infrastructure development beyond city centres into satellite communities to reduce rural-urban migration.
“Remember that when we came on board, one of the directives of Mr President was that we should not concentrate development and provision of infrastructure only in the cities. We must open up all the satellite towns in order to discourage rural-urban migration,” he said.
