The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed as false an allegation by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, that he offered to “hold” the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Wike made the rebuttal on Monday during his end-of-year media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Recall that Governor Makinde had recently told journalists that Wike, during a visit to the State House in 2024, promised President Tinubu that he would “hold PDP” for him.
Reacting, the FCT minister described the claim as a lie, questioning why the Oyo State governor would make what he called a brazenly false allegation.
According to Wike, the meeting held with President Tinubu had nothing to do with the PDP but was merely to show support for the President’s leadership.
He said his position on supporting Tinubu had never been secret and did not require any special meeting to restate it.
“Seyi said I told Tinubu that I will hold PDP for him. Nothing like that happened,” Wike said.
“Everyone knows my stand on Tinubu, I don’t need a meeting to tell him that.
“As a minister, I have a duty to ensure that members of the G-5 benefitted from the Tinubu administration in one way or the other.”
Wike further alleged that Makinde’s outburst was driven by anger after President Tinubu declined to approve his preferred nominee for a ministerial appointment.
He said it was wrong for the Oyo governor to go on national television to accuse others falsely simply because he failed to secure the ministerial slot he wanted.
The former Rivers State governor also noted that he had not received the level of federal support extended to Makinde’s administration, citing the N50 billion grant approved by President Tinubu for victims of the January 2024 explosion in Bodija, Ibadan.
Wike maintained that Governor Makinde owed the people of Oyo State a responsibility to explain how the funds were utilised, stressing that such expenditure should have been properly appropriated before spending.
