2027 Presidency: I’m focused on mandate given to me by Oyo State people

• says infrastructure, security enablers for economy

Governor of Oyo State, ‘Seyi Makinde, has declared that he will not be distracted by the clamour in some quarters for him to run for Presidency in 2027.

The governor noted that he would not allow anyone to set an agenda for him, adding that as of now, he remained committed to delivering infrastructure, policies and programmes that will make lives more meaningful for the people, which is the mandate given to him by the Oyo State people.

Makinde stated this on Tuesday, while appearing on Channels TV’s Politics Today.

He maintained that though he has the capacity to occupy the highest position in the land, he would put into consideration what the Nigerian people want, what his political party wants and what would be in the best interest of the people.

He equally added that if his political journey ends with being governor of Oyo State, he would cherish the opportunity given to him by the people of the state.

The governor maintained that his administration has been able to build road infrastructure and put in place adequate security across the state, noting that these are the enablers for the agribusiness success and economic expansion being witnessed in the state.

He made a reference to his recent trip to France, stating that the trip was to finalise the deal to have a Food Wholesale Market established in Ijaiye by the Rungis International, describing the project and the Special Agro-Processing Zones springing up in Eruwa and Ijaiye as some of the gains of the agribusiness policy of the administration.

“For us, we don’t enjoy going to Abuja every month to get a handout as monthly allocation. We have all it takes. People say that Africa will get out of poverty when we take on the world, but for us in Oyo State, our approach is that what we need to take on the world is almost what we need for import substitution.

“We are building infrastructure that will allow us to have foreign exchange in agriculture and agribusiness. The infrastructure we are building are the enablers for agribusiness. We started out by connecting Ibadan, which is the major consumption hub to Oke Ogun, the major agriculture hub. We also connected Oyo to Oke Ogun and then we connected Ogbomoso, which is the second largest consumption hub to Oke Ogun.

“Through infrastructure, we have not only enabled agribusiness, we have halted rural-urban migration. You know that I hosted the President of Sierra Leone in Fashola Agribusiness Hub recently and he said to me that he once spoke with the President of China, asking him how he was feeding 1.6 billion people and the Chinese President told him, infrastructure. That if you build infrastructure, private people would come to build farms and industries. That is what we have done in Oyo State.”

Also speaking about the meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum (PDPGF) held in Ibadan on Sunday and Monday, Governor Makinde said the far-reaching decisions taken by the governors were taken in consultation with all necessary organs of the party.

He maintained that those rushing to drop PDP’s name in coalition talks were doing so when a majority of party members and party organs had no clue what they were trying to do, what is in the coalition for them and whether the coalition agenda was about power-mongering or whether it is in the best interest of Nigerians.

“These are the issues you need to put into consideration before jumping into the fray, saying you are leading a coalition without carrying the critical people in your party along.”

When asked who would succeed him as governor in 2027, the governor declared that he has enough good people on his team and that he would not leave the state in a limbo.

He said: “We have enough good people on our team in Oyo State. But I will not just leave Oyo State people hanging. Before I came into office, I put in place a Roadmap for Accelerated Development, 2019-2023 and when we were re-elected in 2023, we put in the Roadmap for Sustainable Development, 2023-2027.

“We have achieved many things. But when people ask me, you have done so much in terms of building roads and all that, are these your legacy, I always tell them those are not the things I want to be remembered for. I want to be remembered for creating a major shift in terms of creating institutions to support good governance in Oyo State.

“Before I leave office, I will prepare a Roadmap for Continued Development of Oyo State and, whoever the Oyo State people choose in 2027, I will hand it over to him and I would have done my own bit.”

The governor also spoke on the issue of zoning, noting that since politics is a game of numbers, the discussion on the issue will be a continuous one.

He added, however, that the governorship would leave Ibadan when there is a governor who has performed excellently and has earned the trust of the people and who decides to convince people in that direction.