ABUJA — Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has disclosed explosive details of a high-stakes meeting at the Presidential Villa between President Bola Tinubu and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, describing the encounter as a “cold and blunt rebuff” of the Oyo governor’s political grievances. Speaking on Saturday, January 24, 2026, Fayose revealed that Makinde arrived for the closed-door session accompanied by Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, a move Fayose interpreted as a calculated attempt by Makinde to avoid a direct, one-on-one confrontation with the President.
According to the disclosure, President Tinubu signaled from the onset that while he was prepared to discuss official administrative matters concerning Oyo State, he had no interest in privately entertaining political complaints, particularly following Makinde’s public allegations that the presidency was steering Nigeria toward a one-party state. The President reportedly cautioned Makinde against the “hypocrisy” of making inflammatory public statements while seeking private political accommodation, suggesting that the Governor should remain consistent in his public opposition.
The meeting reportedly grew more strained when the subject of the fractured relationship between Makinde and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, was raised. Fayose claimed that President Tinubu firmly defended Wike, describing him as a loyal and indispensable ally. The President reportedly told Makinde that any dispute between him and the FCT Minister was a personal matter that did not require presidential intervention, effectively leaving the Oyo Governor isolated from the federal protection he allegedly sought.
Furthermore, the President made it clear that he was not actively seeking Makinde’s political support ahead of the 2027 general elections, asserting that he would continue to support his own party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and would not compromise his political family to appease “fair-weather” opposition governors.
Fayose’s revelation also touched upon a deepening financial controversy involving the January 2023 Ibadan explosion. He challenged Governor Makinde to provide a transparent account of the ₦30 billion federal intervention fund linked to the disaster, noting that while the Governor had previously acknowledged receipt of the money, he recently claimed the funds remained unspent.
Fayose argued that if the money has not reached the victims after three years, it should be returned to the federal treasury with interest. He concluded that Makinde’s recent public assertions of being “comfortable” in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were merely a face-saving reaction to the realization that he has no viable political future within the APC. Neither the Presidency nor the Oyo State Government has issued an official statement to confirm or deny Fayose’s detailed account of the Villa encounter.
