Group Accuses Makinde of Funding Atiku’s Campaign to Split Tinubu’s Votes

The Save Oyo Movement (SOM) has accused Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of using state resources to finance the presidential campaign of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in an alleged attempt to divide votes against President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election.

The group alleged that more than $3 million, estimated at about N4 billion, had been delivered to Atiku in cash over the past two weeks.

In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its coordinator, Comrade Akeem Oladiti, SOM claimed that Makinde had been promised the position of Chief of Staff if Atiku secured victory in the 2027 presidential election.

The group further alleged that funds were being channelled to Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, through an Abuja-based bureau de change operator and a prominent ADC member from Ondo State.

SOM linked the alleged funding to Makinde’s reported displeasure over President Tinubu’s rejection of his ministerial nominee, Bimbo Adekanmbi. The group accused the governor of allowing the disagreement to influence his political decisions at the expense of Oyo State resources.

Makinde had confirmed nominating Adekanmbi, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) governorship candidate in Oyo State, for a ministerial position. However, Tinubu rejected the nomination and appointed Adebayo Adelabu instead.

The movement also criticised Makinde’s announcement that N6 billion would be paid as compensation to property owners affected by the Ibadan Circular Road project. It described the proposed payment as belated, arguing that compensation should have been considered before residents were displaced or their properties affected.

SOM also dismissed Makinde’s promise to serve only one four-year term if elected president in 2027. The group characterised the pledge as unserious and claimed that the governor had previously told journalists, during the opening of his campaign office in Abuja, that he knew he could not win the election and was contesting merely to create an impression.

The movement questioned the rationale behind the alleged campaign funding, claiming that Makinde was seeking to undermine Tinubu’s re-election bid while pursuing a possible appointment in an Atiku-led administration.

SOM vowed to hold the governor accountable for any Oyo State funds allegedly diverted to support what it described as an arranged presidential contest.

The allegations concerning the alleged payments and proposed political appointment were made by the group and were not independently substantiated in the statement.