How Tinubu Replaced My Ministerial Nominee With Adelabu – Makinde

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has disclosed details surrounding how President Bola Tinubu declined his choice for the ministerial slot allotted to Oyo State, opting instead to appoint the former Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu.

Makinde explained that the President originally requested him to recommend a development finance expert for the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning as part of political accommodations following the G-5 governors’ opposition to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership prior to the 2023 presidential election.

Speaking during an interview on Fresh FM, the governor revealed that he recommended Bimbo Adekanmbi, a former Oyo State Commissioner for Finance under the administration of the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

Adekanmbi is currently running as the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State.

However, Makinde stated that President Tinubu chose Adelabu instead—the same politician whom the Oyo State governor defeated during the 2019 gubernatorial contest.

He added that the President later asked him to publicly endorse the decision as his own personal choice, a request he declined, maintaining that the appointment belonged solely to the President.

“I said, ‘Okay, I know Bayo. I contested against Bayo in 2019. He is a first-class material,’” Makinde recalled.

He noted that President Tinubu subsequently told him: “Well, since I’ve taken this decision to appoint Bayo, you should go and take ownership of him, like go out and say it was your choice.”

The governor noted that he turned down the proposal, insisting that his responsibility was strictly to present qualified names capable of adding value to the federal cabinet, rather than taking credit for executive choices made at the center.

“So I said, ‘No, sir. Bayo is your choice, and let it be known to the people that it is your choice,’” he said.

“I’m supposed to help you by nominating people who can add value to your administration. If you’ve seen somebody who can do that, that’s good,” he added.

Makinde stated that he later gathered that several other state governors were similarly asked to adopt ministerial nominees picked directly by the President.

According to him, this approach resulted in state executives being publicly linked with federal appointments they did not originate.

“The G-5, minus, of course, Wike, was not given ministerial appointments,” he said, referring to the group of five PDP governors who broke ranks with their party leadership ahead of the 2023 elections.

The G-5 faction comprised Makinde, Nyesom Wike (then Rivers State governor), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia).

Wike, who actively backed President Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election while remaining in the PDP, was subsequently appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

Makinde stressed that the practice extended beyond the G-5 group, claiming that numerous governors across party lines were asked to publicly claim candidates chosen directly by the presidency.

“The point I’m trying to make is that most of my colleagues, not just those in the G-5, my governor colleagues, right, were given people and asked to adopt those people as theirs,” he said.

The Oyo governor also expressed concerns regarding federal appointment distribution, arguing that political ties rather than regional equity dictated many cabinet choices.

While acknowledging criticisms that the South-West held key positions in the administration, he maintained that alignment with the President’s long-standing political network was the primary factor.

“They may be Yoruba people, but the majority of them were appointed on the basis of affiliation with Bourdillon,” Makinde said, referring to the Lagos residence associated with President Tinubu’s political headquarters.