Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has claimed he played a major role in providing the political structure that enabled Seyi Makinde to become the Governor of Oyo State.
Speaking during his end-of-year media parley on Monday, Wike alleged that Makinde previously contested several political positions but consistently failed because he lacked a solid political base and party structure.
According to him, Makinde was introduced to him ahead of the 2019 general election, and that was when he and others decided to hand over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) structure in Oyo State to Makinde — a move Wike believes paved the way for his eventual governorship victory.
“That time Seyi Makinde made his $1 million, I was the chairman of one of the most important LGAs in this country. I didn’t choose to be a contractor. I chose to have power, and I have the power,” Wike stated.
“In 2007, he ran under ANPP as Senator, he lost. In 2013, they brought him to me to give him Oyo State PDP structure. I refused and gave it to Teslim Folarin. He went to SDP to run for governor. He failed with his $1 million.”
Wike further claimed that Makinde only succeeded when he received the PDP structure from him ahead of the 2019 polls.
“Before 2019 he came back, and we said now we are ready to give him structure. I was already grounded in politics, and I had no $1 million, yet the man with $1 million was going around looking for people to give him structure. It was when we gave him structure that Seyi became Governor.”
His comments appear to be a direct response to Makinde’s earlier remark that he was already making $1 million when Wike was still serving as a local government chairman.
Wike dismissed the comment, insisting that despite Makinde’s wealth, he still operated under political systems and laws created by him while serving at the LGA level.