The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has alleged that he was part of those who gave Seyi Makinde the needed political structure to become the Governor of Oyo State.
According to him, Makinde had contested various political offices in the past but failed to clinch the positions because he had no structure.
Wike, who spoke on Monday during his end-of-the-year media parley, said it was in the build-up to the 2019 election that Makinde was brought to him and they decided to give him the structure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State.
Wike boasted that it was after this that Makinde contested and won the governorship election.
The Minister said with all the money Makinde claimed to have had, he couldn’t win elections on his own.
“That time Seyi Makinde made his $1 million, I was the chairman of one of the most important LGAs in this country. I didn’t choose to be a contractor. I chose to have power, and I have the power.
“In 2007, he ran under ANPP as Senator, he lost. In 2013, they brought him to me to give him Oyo State PDP structure. I refused and gave it to Teslim Folarin. He went to SDP to run for governor. He failed with his $1 million.
“It was before 2019 he came back and we say now, we are ready to give him structure. I was already grounded in politics, and I had no $1 million, but the man with $1 million was going around to look for people to give him structure.
“It was when we gave him structure that Seyi now became Governor,” Wike said.
The submission comes as a direct response to the earlier submission by Governor Makinde that he was already making $1 million when Wike was just a local government chairman.
Wike, however, retorted that despite his money, Makinde had to abide by the laws made by him as a local government chairman.