Sometimes ago, I likened Governor Seyi Makinde’s predicaments to that of the proverbial ‘ ewe aeragba’, that leaf, according to a Youruba proverb, is always restless. ( Ile o gbaa, ona o gbaa, nii se ewe aeragba’).
Governor Makinde’s gbatueyo Data boys didn’t take the story lightly.
They felt like, Governor Makinde is too big to be troubled by any means and he is too pure to be wrong.
One of them, a funny fellow, who is fond of attacking my stories any time he saw them on a particular WhatsApp platform, went wild, his mouth foaming, spewing all manner of nonsense.
I must say that I always enjoy their frustrations, as they sweat to impress their pay masters.
Governor Seyi Makinde has been very busy over the last couple of days.
He met with a former Governor of Bayelsa state, Senator Seriake Dickson.
Seriake Dickson recently left the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to join the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC.
The Governor of Oyo state also met with his counterpart in Bauchi, Governor Bala Mohammed.
I will come back to the Bauchi meeting shortly.
He also met with a former Governor of Kano state and Leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Rabiu Kwakwanso in Kano.
As at the time Governor Makinde was meeting with Kwakwanso in Kano, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP addressed the Press and alleged that Governor Seyi Makinde is shopping for Courts in Ibadan , which would grant an injunction against the planned National Convention of the PDP.
I am not aware that Governor Makinde has denied that allegation till the moment I’m writing this piece.
Now, let us go back to Bauchi.
Governor Makinde spoke to the Press at Bauchi.
Honestly, I think he should really slow down and reflect on the story of the elephant who was deceived by other animals. ( A o merin joba).
Why do I say so?
I will make reference to the video of Governor Makinde at Bauchi.
When the first question was thrown by the Press, it wasn’t specifically directed to Governor Seyi Makinde but the microphone was with Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state, he picked the microphone, looked at it, hesitated a bit and handed it over to Governor Makinde, without saying a word.
The specific question asked centered on the reconciliation moves between the factions in the PDP.
Governor Bala Mohammed is the Chairman of the PDP Governor’s forum, whatever remains of the forum.
I thought he should have at least say a word or two before Governor Makinde would begin to vibrate but he handed over the microphone to Governor Seyi Makinde and he started talking about a particular meeting where former Governor Nyesom Wike promised to hold the PDP for president Tinubu.
First, Governor Makinde threw a shade at the journalist who asked the question.
The reporter is from the Nation Newspaper and Governor Makinde said he hopes that he would report his statement just as he made it.
There are one or two inferences to be drawn from Governor Makinde’s statement regarding the Nation Newspaper reporter.
One, that statement could be construed to mean that the Nation Newspaper had in the past, twisted his statements.
It could also be seen as a direct threat to the president, who is believed to be the owner of the Nation Newspaper.
Whatever it is, Governor Seyi Makinde has made his statement and I want to address the statement on the face value.
The allegation that Nyesom Wike promised to hold the PDP for president Tinubu is not new.
Infact, it has become a boring repetition.
However, now that he has chosen to reeawaken our consciousness to the alleged meeting, I would want Governor Makinde to please, shed some lights on some grey areas in his allegations.
Governor Makinde was part of the five Governors of the PDP, the G-5, who supported president Tinubu by working against the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in 2023.
Consequent upon an alliance between Tinubu and the G-5, Governor Makinde was supported by the president to secure a second term as Governor of Oyo state.
Nyesom Wike was also compensated with a Ministerial appointment under Tinubu.
It is no longer a secret that Governor Seyi Makinde also nominated someone as Minister, but for reasons known to both parties, the nomination was rejected.
It is also not a secret any longer that president Tinubu approved the sum of 30 billion Naira for Governor Makinde to take care of the victims of Bodija explosion.
For some time after Tinubu became president, Governor Makinde practically relocated to Abuja and you would think he had a quarter to himself at the Villa.
The question is, when exactly did the meeting which Governor Makinde is now talking about took place?
What prompted the meeting and apart from Governor Makinde, Nyesom Wike and the president, who else attended the meeting?
Did the meeting take place before or after Governor Makinde’s Ministerial nominee was rejected?
Precisely, how many months are in-between the day of the alleged meeting and the time Governor Makinde broke the story for the first time during his Media chat?
Why didn’t Governor Makinde expose Nyesom Wike immediately after the meeting or, is it that the meeting held a day before his Media chat?
We can’t all be fools.
If you objectively look at Governor Makinde’s trajectory about this incident, you will discover that Governor Makinde’s allegations are afterthoughts.
It is reactionary.
His Ministerial nominee was rejected by the president and he must scatter the table.
If it is true that Nyesom Wike actually promised to hold down the PDP for president Tinubu, Governor Makinde must have been a party to the decision because he raised no alarm immediately he left the alleged meeting.
If he is not a party to such a decision, then, it follows that he is just playing politics and such a meeting never took place.
You will note that up till today, Governor Seyi Makinde has not denied Wike’s rebuttal.
Wike, in response to the allegations, admitted that they had a meeting with the president and went on to mention the names of other people who were at the meeting.
He denied the fact that a discussion which centered on the holding down of the PDP for president Tinubu were ever considered.
I expected Governor Makinde to have countered Wike with more compelling evidence that would have pushed the matter beyond my words against yours but he hasn’t.
Whatever fate is befalling the PDP today, Governor Seyi Makinde can not be exonerated.
His stories about a meeting with the president will surely constitute a cock and bull story if he couldn’t answer certain questions.
No matter how much Governor Makinde tries to change the narratives, the truth remains that he benefitted immensely from the alliance between the G-5 and president Tinubu, to the detriment of the PDP.
I was amused when I heard heard talking about the people being behind them.
That statement is, to say the least, delusional.
Which people will que behind someone who himself is not sure about the paths to follow?
Since this crisis started, he has met with former Vice president Atiku Abubakar, he invited Peter Obi to Ibadan, he has met with Seriake Dickson and Rabiu Kwakwanso.
Presently, Governor Makinde is stranded politically.
With a very compressed election timetable like what we have at hand, what manner of a people will que behind a stranded politician?
The other time, Governor Makinde was talking about ‘ vagabonds ‘ and repentance.
Even though, the Governor claims to be repentant, what they did to the PDP when he was still in the folds of those he sees as ‘ vagabonds ‘ today, will haunt the PDP forever and he would be seen as being part of those who destroyed the party.
I’m seriously enjoying this game.
Now that Governor Makinde has taken it upon himself to rally a force of politically stranded politicians, may I suggest that he spearhead the registration of a political party which shall be known as the League of Politically Stranded Politicians, LPSP?
He shouldn’t find it difficult to convince other stranded politicians to concede the presidential ticket to him on such a platform.
I just hope he is not losing sights on the activities of the ‘ PDP ‘ gubernatorial screening committee at home.
I also want to suggest that a committee should be set up to work on which party logo those who are erecting Billboards should adopt now that Governor Makinde is gradually accepting the fact that he has lost the battle against Wike.
At this point, I am surprised that Governor Makinde would still be considering approaching any Court regarding the issue of the PDP as is being alleged.
What would he need that for?
Is it a case of, if you Wike me, I Makinde you?
Within the next couple of weeks, the chickens must come home to roost.
Let’s remain calm and see how and where they settle.
Sola Abegunde.
