Ojo Warns: Makinde Could Lose Supporters Before 2027

Former Oyo State Commissioner for Justice, Adebayo Mutalubi Ojo, has predicted that Governor Seyi Makinde could lose the support of some of the politicians currently standing firmly behind him ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Recall that Makinde is the 2027 presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

Ojo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said many of Makinde’s supporters would turn against the Presidential candidate and his preferred successor in Oyo State, Bimbo Adekanmbi, as the election draws closer.

Speaking on the latest edition of OpenForum360, a political podcast in Ibadan, the former commissioner said the political situation in the state would become clearer by December 2026.

According to him, some politicians presently showing loyalty to Makinde are only waiting for the right time to withdraw their support and openly oppose his candidate.

“Believe me, by December, you will see what will happen. Most of them will leave him. And they will come out to oppose his candidate openly,” Ojo said.

“I can’t be mentioning names. I know them. I know you know what is happening. They are deceiving him. There are a lot of intrigues in politics. It’s not a straightforward enterprise.”

The SAN described Makinde’s popularity as the governor’s strongest political asset, but warned that the same popularity could eventually become a major disadvantage.

He argued that Adekanmbi, having emerged as Makinde’s preferred candidate, would inherit both the governor’s political goodwill and his opponents.

Ojo likened the relationship between Makinde and Adekanmbi to ‘Siamese twins’, arguing that whatever political advantage or disadvantage affects the governor could equally have an impact on his chosen successor, Naija News reports.

The former commissioner said the situation might have been different if Makinde had allowed the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to conduct transparent, free and fair primaries before the emergence of its governorship candidate.

He further claimed that some politicians who currently identify with Makinde are only doing so publicly despite having reservations about his political decisions.

Ojo also compared the situation in the PDP with developments within the All Progressives Congress, APC, where some aggrieved members, according to him, have been more vocal about their concerns.

He referred to the APC reconciliation committee headed by Senator Femi Lanlehin and mentioned former minister Adebayo Adelabu and Senator Buhari as some of the political figures whose positions were being closely monitored.

The former commissioner also named Comrade Bayo Titilola-Sodo, Hon. Babs Oduyoye and former police commissioner Fatai Owoseni among those who had openly expressed their grievances within the APC and government circles.

Ojo maintained that some politicians would continue to publicly support Makinde and his preferred candidate while keeping their real positions private until the political atmosphere changes.

He cited the experience of some politicians in Osun State who, according to him, remained with the APC despite their reservations, only for the party to later suffer electoral setbacks.

Despite his criticism, Ojo described Adekanmbi as “my good brother and my friend”, but warned that people around the former commissioner could be shielding him from the realities of the political situation.