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The Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has reacted to the talks making the rounds that he plans to vie for the presidency in 2027, declaring that he's qualified and old enough to speak for himself on the issue without mincing words.
The social media was awash with speculations on Friday, October 19, 2024, after some medium reported that the Governor had thrown his hat into the presidential ring to challenge President Bola Tinubu.
Makinde, who reacted to the development while speaking to reporters in Fashola Farm in Oyo on Friday, said the speculation about his political future was unsolicited.
He stressed that if he had anything to say about his future political moves, he would do so publicly without the help of a third party.
"We didn’t do this (Host PDP reporters’ retreat) 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,” he said.
The Governor recalled how he defied several odds, including failed Senate attempts before his election into office as governor.
He noted that the feat wouldn't have been possible without the support of the Oyo people.
“Oyo State people took a decision in 2019. We did not have a godfather. Nobody sponsored me, nobody gave me a dime for us to get in here but the people of Oyo State decided, we wanted to give this opportunity to an outsider.
“And before that, you will see videos saying that Oh, Seyi, what has he done before? Has he been a councillor? No. Has he been to the House of Representatives? No. What about the Senate? I tried twice but was rejected.
“So, experience in politics – No experience in governance but I’ve done well for myself in business and they said we’ll give you the opportunity and before that time, the whole of the South West was APC, all six states.
“But in Oyo State, we chose to be different. Because I had no experience, I wanted to convince the people.
“We produced a document, Road Map to accelerated development of Oyo State, 2019-2023 and I said to the people, this is it in black and white, hold me accountable and they gave us the opportunity. Thank God it is being done,“ Makinde said.
He, however, warned Nigerians about the inherent dangers of allowing the nation to slide into a one-party state.
“Nigeria must not slide into a one-party state so that others will have the opportunity to showcase their talents,” he stated.