Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state is a man who loves to host meaningless gatherings, where state resources are squandered on endeavors that hold no benefit for the people who elected him as Governor.
Last November, he hosted the National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP against the directives of the Federal High Court.
Only God knows the amount of State resources he has squandered in the pursuit of legitimizing that illegal gathering, now popularly known as the ‘ Amala Convention ‘.
Not long ago, he also organized a comic crowning of certain High Chiefs of Ibadan Land in their absence.
It has been alleged that for that purpose, a whooping sum of 1.5 billion Naira of state resources was squandered.
Governor Makinde and his Government have not denied this damaging allegations.
Now, our trouble shooting Governor has hosted another gathering, tagged ‘ opposition political parties Summit ‘.
This time around, it was a Summit of disgruntled, tired and frustrated politicians across Nigeria.
I wouldn’t have concerned myself with the jamboree, if not for the reckless and irresponsible statement made by Governor Seyi Makinde during the gathering.
While addressing the Summit, Governor Makinde made reference to an unfortunate incident which happened between 1962 and 1965.
That unfortunate event marked a very terrible and unforgettable turning point in the History of the South West and Nigeria as a whole.
An incident that led to killings, arson and a chain of events which eventually ended Democracy in the First Republic.
‘ Operation weti e’.
That was the scary phrase Governor Seyi Makinde chose, to recklessly adopt, to press home, whatever message he was trying to pass.
Now, let us examine the context upon which this insensitive comment was made.
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Governor Makinde’s comment was made from the background of a belief that President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC, are not allowing opposition political parties to thrive.
In this context, I will use the example of the PDP, on which platform, Governor Seyi Makinde got elected twice as Governor.
There was a division in the PDP as a result of disagreements between Governor Makinde and his friend, former Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.
In 2023, Wike, Makinde and three other Governors of the PDP constituted themselves into a Group known as the G-5.
The five PDP Governors publicly rejected the presidential candidate of the PDP at the time, former Vice president Atiku Abubakar and entered into an alliance with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as he then was, presidential candidate of the APC.
Governor Seyi Makinde got elected for a second term in office, thanks to the alliance with Tinubu and after the 2023 presidential election, which Tinubu won, Nyesom Wike was appointed as a Minister by president Tinubu.
The G-5 did not leave the PDP in 2023, yet, they worked against the Party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Sometimes in 2025, disagreements, centering on the control of the PDP structures broke out between Governor Makinde and Nyesom Wike and these disagreements lead to the break up of the PDP into two parallel Groups.
One faction loyal to Makinde and the other, loyal to Nyesom Wike.
The disputes between the two factions led to litigations and as I write this piece, they are awaiting the judgment of the Supreme Court.
Now, from this background of self inflicted calamities, where is Tinubu’s fault?
Is it Tinubu who asked Governor Makinde and former Governor Nyesom Wike to jettison the presidential candidate of their party in 2023?
Should Tinubu be held responsible for the disagreements between Nyesom Wike and Makinde over the control of the PDP?
Is president Tinubu or the APC responsible for the filing of multiple cases against the PDP in different Courts?
The case of the PDP is not too different from what is happening within the Labor Party and the Action Democratic Congress, ADC.
If certain members of opposition political parties chose to be litigating against their Party, how do you want the president to accept responsibility for that?
I am surprised that these funny people want us to see Tinubu as one tyrannical dictator.
Which dictator will overlook the kind of reckless and irresponsible statement made by the Governor of a state, who hosted a Group of people who wants to remove him from office?
No matter what anyone will have to say, it will never be the responsibility of president Tinubu to help his opponents to put their house in order.
It is also within president Tinubu’s right to leverage on any identified weaknesses of his opponents.
It is politics we are talking about here.
Politics is a game played by men. Not by crying babies.
I am so surprised that the same Governor Seyi Makinde who has always collaborated with the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission, OYSIEC, to conjure the names of Local Government Chairmen and Councilors would be the one pontificating about the right of opposition political parties.
I have read the worthless rejoinder by Michael Ogunsina.
The young fellow always loved to advertise his incapabilities.
Not long ago, he was all over the former First Lady of Oyo state, Her. Excellency, Chief Mrs Florence Ajimobi whom he accused of making inflammatory comments about the 2027 general election.
The same Michael Ogunsina is now the one trying to justify the reckless comments made by Governor Seyi Makinde.
Well, Michael is a very young man and I doubt if he has ever read about the disaster which the ‘ Weti e’ episode represents in our history.
I see that he tried so much to draw similarities between the comments he attributed to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu when he was the Leader of opposition in this country and the irresponsible statement by Governor Seyi Makinde.
Unfortunately, the more he tried to draw similarities between them, the more he ended up showing us the parallel between Asiwaju’s refined methods and Governor Seyi Makinde’s crude approach.
I must however say this, is Governor Seyi Makinde capable of inciting violence?
Of course, he is, judging by his anticident.
In 2021, Governor Makinde’s former Chairman of the Parks Management System, PMS, Mukaila Auxiliary led thugs who caused mayhem during the Local Government election in Eruwa and Lanlate.
Four innocent lives were lost on that day and sadly, no one was arrested or tried as a result of that very unfortunate incident.
The same Mukaila Auxiliary led thugs who attacked residents of Igangan when Governor Makinde was campaigning for his second term in Ibarapa North Local Government.
On that occasion also, many lives were lost.
We were also here when the same Mukaila Auxiliary was threatening to kill the former Governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose during a PDP program at Osogbo.
For many years, Governor Seyi Makinde harbored and protected Mukaila Auxiliary, an ex convict and even empowered him by appointing him as the head of the PMS.
In an interview with a popular Radio presenter, Mukaila Auxiliary claimed that he was approached by Seye Famojuro and Governor Seyi Makinde and was asked to be the head of ‘ their security ‘, whatever that meant.
An ex convict, engaged to provide security for an incoming Governor!
Up till today, I am not aware that either of Governor Seyi Makinde or Seye Famojuro has denied the allegations by Mukaila Auxiliary.
So, when such a person begins to talk about violence, about ‘ weti e’, those concerned must not treat his comments with levity and I think everyone must start to take a second look at the original intentions behind Governor Seyi Makinde’s proposed Local Government election which he has slated for December.
How is it possible to hold a Local Government election in December when the 2027 general election would be just some days away?
I hope this is not part of a grand design against the 2027 general election.
We all know that any day Governor Makinde and the OYSIEC conduct Local Government election in Oyo state, such a day used to be a free reign for thugs and miscreants.
Infact, OYSIEC always reserved important roles for PMS boys and Garage urchins on election day.
Can we afford a rowdy event, just a few days before the 2027 general election?
Most especially, when our supposed Chief Security officer is beginning to remind us about ‘ weti e’?
Governor Makinde was talking about violence at home.
He can afford to do so because his own children are safe abroad.
He is also comfortable and may God forbid, if anything untoward were to happen today, he would hop into a plane to join his children abroad and they will play different kind of games and run Marathons, while the children of the poor and ordinary people will have to face the consequences of his unguarded actions.
Sola Abegunde.
