2027: Wike’s camp mocks Makinde, labels APM ‘MoU Party’ after PDP exit

By Seyifunmi Odunuga 

The brewing tension between the camp of the FCT Minister and the Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, reached a boiling point on Thursday as Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, launched a blistering attack on the Governor following his presidential declaration.

Reacting to the news of Makinde’s move to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Olayinka suggested that the Governor’s exit from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was not a voluntary departure but an inevitable eviction.

Taking to his social media platforms shortly after the mega rally at Mapo Hall in Ibadan, Olayinka described the Governor's new political platform as a "Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) party," mocking the weight and structure of the APM compared to the mainstream opposition.

"Seyi Makinde has now been sent out of the PDP to an MoU party," Olayinka stated, a comment that has since triggered intense debate among political stakeholders.

The "MoU" jab is widely interpreted by analysts as a slight on the APM's status as a minor party, suggesting that Makinde’s presidential bid is built on a fragile foundation of temporary alliances rather than solid party structures.

This public confrontation marks a definitive collapse of the political camaraderie previously seen within the "G-5" Governors' alliance, of which both Makinde and Olayinka's principal, Nyesom Wike, were prominent members during the 2023 election cycle.

Political observers in Ibadan noted that while the Governor was telling a surging crowd at Mapo Hill that his move represented the "Birth of a New Nation," the rhetoric from the FCT Minister’s aide indicates that the PDP leadership may have already slammed the door shut on the "Pacesetter Governor."

Insiders within the PDP suggest that Makinde’s decision to pursue the presidency outside the party's fold has effectively isolated him from his former allies, leaving him to navigate the "Third Force" path alone.

As the 2027 race begins to take shape, the exchange between the FCT Minister’s camp and the Makinde administration is expected to set the tone for a high-stakes political battle in the South-West and at the national level.