Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has publicly declared his regret over supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, stating that the political cross-party alliance failed to deliver on promises of national unity, fairness, and competent governance.
Speaking during an interactive media session and political briefing held on Sunday morning, October 11, 2026, at the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, Governor Makinde offered a candid assessment of the current administration.
Addressing journalists, civil society leaders, and party delegates, Makinde explained that his support for Tinubu during the 2023 election cycle was rooted in a desire to promote power rotation, national cohesion, and inclusive leadership across regional and party lines.
“I supported fairness, justice, and equity. I supported a united Nigeria—a Nigeria that gives opportunity to every part of this country,” Makinde said. “I believed the president would reset the country and bring together competent individuals from across Nigeria to tackle our national challenges. But is it what we are seeing right now? Is it a government of national competence? Is it a government of national unity? The answer is no.”
When asked directly whether he regretted his decision to align with Tinubu over his own party’s candidate in 2023, the governor did not mince words.
“Unfortunately, that is not what we are seeing. So I regret that action. Yes, I do,” Makinde stated. He added that true leadership requires accountability and the courage to admit when a decision has not yielded the intended outcome. “I am not afraid to apologize to people when I am wrong, because only God is all-knowing and knows the end from the beginning.”
The governor also detailed rift points with the administration, including political friction over ministerial appointments and concerns over the erosion of democratic pluralism and party structures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Responding to Governor Makinde’s statements later on Sunday afternoon, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, issued a statement from the State House in Abuja defending the administration’s record.
Onanuga asserted that President Tinubu remains focused on economic reform and broad-based governance, dismissing Makinde’s comments as political maneuvering ahead of the next election cycle.
Concurrently, the Chief Press Secretary to the Oyo State Governor, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, reaffirmed the governor’s stance in a post-event briefing in Ibadan, emphasising that Governor Makinde’s priority remains the defense of democratic institutions, fair representation, and the welfare of Nigerians.
