Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has revealed that President Bola Tinubu rejected his preferred candidate for a ministerial appointment after the 2023 presidential election, choosing Adebayo Adelabu instead of former Oyo State Commissioner for Finance Bimbo Adekanmbi.
Makinde made the disclosure during a radio interview on Fresh FM in Ibadan, where he revisited the political understanding that led him and other aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors to support Tinubu’s presidential ambition in 2023.
According to the governor, his support for Tinubu was based partly on the expectation that the incoming administration would promote national unity, bring competent people from different political backgrounds into government and address Nigeria’s security and economic challenges.
Makinde said he had asked Tinubu what role he intended to assign to Oyo State in his cabinet and was told that the president wanted a developmental economist to oversee the budget and economic planning portfolio.
The governor said he subsequently recommended Adekanmbi, who served as commissioner for finance and budget planning under the administration of the late Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
Makinde explained that his recommendation was based on his assessment of Adekanmbi’s record in public financial management rather than his political affiliation.
He said he had reviewed the performance of officials who served under Ajimobi after assuming office in 2019 and concluded that Adekanmbi had contributed to managing the state’s finances during that administration.
The governor maintained that he was willing to support qualified individuals regardless of their party affiliations if he believed they could contribute meaningfully to public service.
“I know Bayo. I contested against Bayo in 2019, bright, first-class material, but I went ahead to nominate Bimbo Adekanmbi,” Makinde said, referring to Adelabu, who had contested against him in the 2019 governorship election.
According to Makinde, Tinubu eventually informed him that he had selected Adelabu for the ministerial position, despite the governor’s preference for Adekanmbi.
Adelabu, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, was appointed Minister of Power in August 2023 and served in the position until his resignation in April 2026 to pursue his governorship ambition in Oyo State.
Makinde also recalled that Tinubu suggested he should take ownership of Adelabu’s appointment by presenting the former minister as his preferred choice.
The governor said he declined, insisting that the appointment should be publicly recognised as the president’s decision rather than attributed to him.
“No, sir. Bayo is your choice, and let it be known to the people that it is your choice,” Makinde recalled telling Tinubu.
The disclosure has brought renewed attention to the political negotiations surrounding the 2023 presidential election and the expectations held by politicians who supported candidates outside their own parties.
Makinde was one of five PDP governors known as the G5, who opposed the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, amid disagreements over party leadership and the demand for greater regional balance following President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year tenure.
The other members were Nyesom Wike, Samuel Ortom, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu, who were governors of Rivers, Benue, Enugu and Abia states respectively at the time.
The group argued that the PDP’s national leadership arrangement should be changed before the election, particularly over the position of its then-national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, following Atiku’s emergence as the party’s presidential candidate.
Makinde said the political understanding with Tinubu was intended to support a government of national unity capable of bringing together people across party and regional lines.
He argued that the arrangement was not simply about securing ministerial positions but about encouraging a broader approach to governance and addressing national problems through cooperation.
The governor expressed dissatisfaction with what he described as the failure of the resulting administration to meet those expectations, particularly regarding political inclusion and the distribution of appointments.
He also said that, among the five G5 governors, Wike was the only one who received a major appointment in the Tinubu administration, referring to his appointment as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Makinde’s remarks come as he pursues his own presidential ambition for the 2027 general election under the Allied Peoples Movement, setting up a potential political contest with Tinubu, who is seeking re-election.
However, the governor’s account reflects his recollection of the discussions and political understanding surrounding the ministerial appointment, while the president’s decision to appoint Adelabu was an exercise of his constitutional authority to nominate ministers.
The episode highlights the complex negotiations that often accompany coalition-building in Nigerian politics and the different expectations political actors may hold after supporting candidates outside their parties.