Governor Makinde Dismisses Fayose’s N50bn Tinubu Donation Claim

Says ex-Ekiti governor lacks credibility

Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has dismissed claims by former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, that he received N50billion support from President Bola Tinubu following the January 2024 explosion in Ibadan.

Addressing newsmen on Saturday, the Special Adviser on Media to Governor Makinde, Dr. Sulaimon Olarenwaju, described the allegation as baseless and challenged Fayose to provide evidence to support it.

Olarenwaju said Fayose’s claim lacked credibility.

“He who makes an allegation must provide evidence. Let him produce proof of what he is claiming. It is important to note that Fayose lacks credibility. Even members of his family have publicly disowned him.

“What credibility does such a person have? People like that speak carelessly, and ordinarily, they should not be taken seriously. But since he has made a claim, let him substantiate it,” he said.

It would be reecalled that former Governor Fayose, an ally of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, while speaking on a TVC programme, ‘Politics Tonight,’ on Friday, had accused Governor Makinde of concealing an alleged N50 billion donation from the presidency in the wake of a deadly explosion in Ibadan last year.

The former governor claimed that although the money was not paid directly into Oyo State’s bank account, it was linked to Makinde’s visit to Tinubu after the incident.

“You did not tell Nigerians that you got, at the prerogative and mercy of Mr President, N50 billion in support of the explosion victims in Ibadan. He never said that to Nigeria.

“So, the president can say the explosion is not worth more than N10 billion.The N50 billion did not come into the coffers of Oyo State. It came as a result of your interface with the president, because you came out to say that you met with him,” he had said.

Fayose further alleged: “You only told Nigerians the part where you said the president asked you to go and organise the APC for him and that you said you could not organise. But you did not tell Nigerians what the president did for you and for the good people of your state.”

However, responding to Fayose’s claims, Makinde’s spokesman denied that the presidency made any such monetary donation to Oyo State government.

“There is no substance whatsoever in that claim. Did the president say anything like that? Did the Federal Government make such a statement? If neither the President nor the Federal Government said so, who is Fayose to make that claim? There was no N50 billion donation,” the governor’s aide reiterated.

Fayose’s comments followed Makinde’s declaration that he would not support Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027. The governor had also disclosed that he rejected a request to help organise the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State.

Fayose, in response, criticised Makinde for making public what he described as private conversations with the president, citing a similar experience during his own time in office.

“He called me after an interview and said what he told me about not contesting against the president was private and not meant for public consumption. I was doing it in his interest so that they would not drag his name into the contest.

“But the same Governor Makinde went public to reveal all the discussions he had with the president and said he would not be part of the president’s re-election. And I am telling you, Governor Makinde’s candidate will not contest under the platform of the PDP,” he added.

LEADERSHIP reports that the exchange comes amid deepening divisions within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is split into two factions backed by former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, and former Minister of Special Duties Kabiru Turaki. Fayose is aligned with the Wike-backed faction, while Makinde belongs to the Turaki-led group of the PDP.