Political rivalry is exclusively motivated by interest. There is no caucus or group in politics without an objective, interest, or gain. In politics, there is no such thing as a permanent friend or enemy, but if interests align or support each other sufficiently, they might become permanent. Many relationships have failed owing of conflicts of interest.
In Nigeria, there is a long list of rosy relationships that have ended. The mentor-to-mentee, leader-to-follower, and master-to-servant relationships have all turned sour.
A recent examination of political actions or engagements attributed to Nyesom Wike, former Rivers Governor and current FCT Minister, and Seyi Makinde, Governor of Oyo State, revealed that the two, who were political allies, have become sworn political rivals/enemies.
Findings by WITHIN NIGERIA revealed that Seyi Makinde and Nyesom Wike were not personal friends even though both got elected and re-elected under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as governors.
Aside from the Governors’ Forum, PDP Governors’ meeting, or project commissioning, Makinde and Wike were first photographed together for a political discussion at a private strategy session in Wike’s Abuja in November 2022, where they mapped out the G-5’s joint stance on the PDP chairmanship and 2023 presidential ticket.
G-5: How did Wike/Makinde become political allies?
Wike and Makinde became political allies in early 2023, when the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s G-5 protest coalition formed.
The G-5, a protest bloc formed due to misunderstanding, zonal exclusion, perceived caucus domination, and broken party traditions, is made up of five governors: Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Ibadan), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu).
The protest group grew stronger after the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rejected the zoning scheme, which is part of the party’s standards, and gave the presidential ticket to Atiku Abubakar, a Northern candidate, despite widespread agitation in the south.
WITHIN NIGERIA learned that the G-5 and its supporters were outraged by the rejection of the national chairmanship to the southwest—a zone that has been unfairly neglected since 2017.
The G-5 also claimed that the PDP had violated its own zoning arrangement, which they saw as a guarantee of fair regional rotation of top party offices, prompting them to engage in a new political play—leveraging federal influence and protecting their own political futures, which favored the All Progressives Congress’s (APC) presidential candidate, President Bola Tinubu.
How did allies become sworn enemies?
What began as a pressure group to force the PDP to honor zoning and reclaim leadership roles for the South, ultimately steering the party towards a more inclusive and regionally balanced direction, has not only exacerbated or worsened the party’s crisis, but has also caused disunity within the G-5 camp.
The alliance between Seyi Makinde and Nyesom Wike began to dissolve due to party leadership contests sparked by power disputes between the two.
By mid-2025, the coalition had dissolved due to growing distrust of party leadership, violated reconciliation pacts, rival power ambitions, and an attempt to dominate the party unilaterally in preparation for the 2027 election.
The breakup of the alliance, which began with dissatisfactory comments, has grown into a larger catastrophe. Wike stated in an interview that his connection with Seyi Makinde was political rather than personal, and Makinde responded by accusing Wike of undermining him.
The collaboration was not a complete waste of effort. Tinubu appointed Wike to a ministerial post, while Seyi Makinde was re-elected.
However, Makinde began supporting the PDP secretariat and plotted to replace Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s National Secretary, despite a Supreme Court order that acknowledged Anyanwu as the rightful secretary.
Wike, the current FCT minister, accused Makinde of breaking reconciliation agreements established in Abuja, particularly after the G-5 conference in Lagos, where they swore togetherness. He accused Makinde’s group of signing a South East PDP letter demanding Okoye’s appointment, essentially excluding Anyanwu.
The escalation?
The battle for control of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 elections has exacerbated the former ruling party’s woes while also deepening divides and disagreements over leadership and adherence to party agreements.
On November 17, 2025, a faction loyal to Governor Seyi Makinde expelled Nyesom Wike and some important members of his side from the Peoples Democratic Party, charging anti-party behavior at the party’s 103rd national convention.
In retaliation, the Wike-led faction kicked out Governor Seyi Makinde, Governor Bala Mohammed, Chief Bode George, and others, charging anti-party conduct and disobedience for court rulings.
The Makinde-led faction convened the 103rd National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, where delegates chose Kabiru Turaki as the party’s National Chairman.
The Wike-led faction rejected the convention as unlawful and maintained their own leadership under Abdulrahman Mohammed.
Recently, the Wike-led and Makinde-led factions battled at the party’s national secretariat. Makinde and Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed reportedly obstructed Wike’s convoy.
There was also a clash between political thugs loyal to each group, which resulted in open conflict. The cops had to use tear gas to restore peace and order.
SEYI MAKINDE SPEAKS?
Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo State, revealed in an interview that the feud between him and Nyesom Wike was not over policy.
According to Makinde, the schism occurred when Wike, in a private meeting with President Tinubu, offered to keep the PDP for him until 2027.
Makinde described the situation as “shocking.” I challenged him, asking, “Wike, did we agree to this?” I subsequently pledged that I would never support Tinubu’s re-election because of that betrayal, he added.
He also accused Wike of violating reconciliation agreements and attempting to replace the real National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, with Ude Okoye, which Makinde’s camp claims is unconstitutional and part of Wike’s larger attempt to dominate the party.
He further stated that Tinubu has the constitutional right to call Wike to order if necessary, implying that the president should rein in his minister.
WIKE’S AIDE REACTS?
Lere Olayinka, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s special assistant on public relations, labeled Makinde as a serial defector who plans to abandon the PDP after the 2027 general election.
He accused him of plotting against Governor Ademola Adeleke in 2022 to become the sole PDP governor in the South-West.
He also reminded readers that Makinde had left the PDP twice before, once for the ANPP in 2007 and again for the SDP in 2015, hinting that loyalty is not his strong point.