I will articulate my plans at the right time —Governor speaks about 2007 presidential ambition

I will articulate my plans at the right time — Governor speaks about 2007 presidential ambition

The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde has refuted media reports suggesting he has officially declared his intention to run for the presidency in 2027.

Speaking to journalists in Ibadan, where he hosted members of the press covering the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national secretariat during a three-day retreat, Makinde emphasized that he will determine his own agenda.

He stated that he is capable of articulating his plans when the time is right, asserting that no one can dictate his political ambitions.

He said: “We didn’t do this because, somebody has a presidential ambition. No comment, nothing. But all I can say to you is, I’m old enough, if I want to do something, I will come out and say, this is what I want to do.

“So, no speculation, nobody can push my agenda. I will push my agenda when the time comes.

“So you as opinion molders, as people that will let the world know that this is where we’re going, one takeaway from this engagement is that Nigeria must not slide into a one-party state.

“It’s what I want you to take out from here. Reflect on it. Oyo people took a decision. In 2019 we did not have godfather. Nobody sponsored me. Nobody gave a dime for us to get in there. But the people of Oyo state decided that they want to give this opportunity to an outsider.

“Before that time, you people say Seyi, what has he done before? Has he been a counselor? No. Has he been to the State House of Assembly? No. Has he been to House of Reps? No. How about Senate? I tried twice. I was rejected.

“No experience in politics, No experience in governance, but I have done well for myself in business. And before that time, the entire Southwest was APC. The entire Southwest. All the six states. But Oyo State said, no, we dare to be different. And because I didn’t have no experience, I wanted to convince the people.

“So we produced a document, roadmap to accelerate development of Oyo State 2019 to 2023. And I said to the people, look, this is the black and white, hold me accountable to this. And they gave us the opportunity and just like my sister said, we saw it as a lifetime opportunity to change the narrative.

“In Nigeria, we have the talents, we have the intellects. …….Anyway, let’s not slide into a one-party state so that we can give others the opportunity so you can showcase what is possible in Nigeria.”

Makinde also discussed his efforts to revive numerous projects that had been abandoned or neglected by previous administrations. He noted that some federal road projects were initiated under his leadership, driven by a commitment to serve his constituents. He highlighted that many of these abandoned initiatives were originally conceived by past leaders who genuinely cared for the community’s welfare.

He said: “It’s just an opportunity to show you that a long time ago, thinkers passed through this place they did certain things and for us, we want to bring some of these things back and see how we can utilize it to make life a little better for our people.

“From what we know, you mentioned to me, I think you went to Iseyin, LAUTEC campus, the School of Agricultural, and College of Natural Resources. Well, this road that you passed to this place is a federal road built by Oyo state government. It took us two years to get the federal government approval. And the road is 34 kilometers. It’s a major link between one zone of the state, Oyo Zone, linking Okeogun Zone. We have five geopolitical zones in Oyo State. We have Ibadan Zone, we have Oyo Zone, Oke Ogun zone, Ibarapa zone, Ogbomoso zone.

“This is a major link between Oyo Zone, linking Okeogun Zone, and it is also passing through a major agro industrial zone. So, I said to them, we don’t care about whether it’s a federal road, it’s a state road, it’s a local government road, all we want is, we want to expand our economy and we also want our people to pass on a smooth road.

“Whether federal government will fix it or state government or local government, just fix the road. If you stand at the gate house there for maybe 15 minutes, at least you must count close to almost 15, 20 trucks carrying cassava all over the place.

“I will say if we want to be remembered, not for roads. We built the airport. We built the local government, or we constructed roads. We want to be remembered for the institutions that we’re trying to build such that good governance will be guaranteed in Oyo State, irrespective of who is coming in. And we are succeeding.

“Before we came in there was no Amotekun, now I am wearing Amotekun cap right now. On Monday, they will graduate the forest rangers so that bandits will never have any foothold in our state. Amotekun wasn’t in existence before we came.

“we also set up our own anti-corruption agency. We set up our rule of law enforcement authority.”