In the physical, ‘Seyi Makinde, the fifth governor of Oyo State in the current democratic dispensation, posseses a quiet mien which disarms, even his most fervent critics. Beyond the surface, however, is a man of strong convictions. Without any iota of doubt, Makinde is someone who knows his onions, especially when and where governance intertwines with godfather and godfatherism.
In 2005 when we first met at a very close range, Makinde came across as a person of a different bent…a politician set apart from the murky waters of the Nigerian politics… separate from a maddening political environment where all what it takes to succeed are raw guts, eye-service, backstabbing, betrayal, subterfuge and servitude to a strong godfather.
Also, I had a one-on-one with Makinde in 2006, preparatory to the 2007 elections. The second meeting further reinforced the man as a staunch believer in his convictions, rather than as someone who will want to seek for undue favours from the ‘high and mighty’.
During the second off-the-cuff meeting with Makinde, a conversation ensued between us thus: “You want to pick the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to represent Oyo South Senatorial District in the Senate in 2007?”
He responded in the affirmative: “That is my ambition.”
I prodded him further: “For an easy win at the PDP primary, have you considered going to Baba Lamidi Adedibu [the deceased self-styled strongman of Ibadan politics] to receive his blessings?”
With his eyes intensely locked with mine, Makinde gently, but firmly, said: “I like your suggestion, but honestly, I don’t believe in godfatherism. I respect people for who they are. I appreciate our elders in PDP. I have nothing against Baba Adedibu, but I will not go to him or anybody else to beg for the senatorial ticket.
“I will rather seek to contest for the ticket on the basis of my personal recognition and also on the conviction of the PDP leaders and stakeholders in my ability to make lasting positive impacts in the senatorial district and in the lives of the constituents.”
Knowing what operated then in the political circle in the state, I said: “But you may fail to realise your ambition.”
Makinde replied: “I am seeking to be elected to serve the people. I will rather contest, lose and go back home with my head high than to start a process that will make me to be worshipping at the feet of a godfather.”
The above recollection reflected the person of the current helmsman in Oyo State…a man of unbendable conviction against godfather, godfatherism…a governor who sees governance, based on the provisions of the Constitution, as the key essential to sustainable national growth and development.
The Bumpy Road To Power
Needless to say that Makinde failed to get the PDP ticket for the 2007 senatorial election. But he was undaunted in his convictions. He kept his team intact, oiling his political machinery from then till 2019 when fate and destiny catapulted him to the topmost elective political office in the state.
In December, 2014, Makinde aimed higher…he sought to contest the 2015 governorship election in Oyo State on the ticket of the PDP. He lost, but remained true to his ambition. He moved to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on which platform he contested the election in 2015. He lost, coming third.
Unshaken in his conviction that he has a pact with the people of the state, Makinde, in September 2017, returned to the PDP fold. This was after extensive consultations with the party party leaders, both at the state and at the national levels.
Makinde, again, threw his hat into the ring and, on 29 September 2018, he emerged as the PDP governorship candidate for the 2019 elections. But he was not given any chances ahead the polls; he was seen as an underdog who cannot match the forces on ground. In fact, a former governor of the state, the late Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, emphatically declared then that Makinde cannot even come a distant 20th, if the candidates for the election were up to that number.
However, Makinde stunned the bookmakers as he convincingly won the election held on 9 March, 2019. He was sworn in on 29 May as the successor to the late former Governor Abiola Ajimobi to become the fifth governor of Oyo State since the return of democracy in 1999.
Makinde, on 7 April 2022, declared his intention to run for another four years. “If the people of Oyo State desire it, we will serve four more years,” he had then written on his X (formerly Twitter) handle. He was re-elected as the governor on 18 March, 2023 election; a feat that was only achieved by the late Senator Ajimobi, being the first governor to have won the governorship election back-to-back in the state.
Stance On Constitution/Federalism
Very early into the life of his two-term tenure, Governor Makinde left no one in doubt about his strong belief in the Constitution as the grundnorm for national growth and development. The focal point of all his views on national discourse has been an adherence to a functional, people-oriented constitution. For him, restructuring -strict compliance with federalism, devolution of power, resource control and state police, among others -is the only path to making Nigeria a better place for all.
On 8 June, 2021, a two-day event, tagged “2021 Governor ‘Seyi Makinde National Democracy Summit”, was held in Ibadan, with the theme “The Future Of Democracy In Nigeria.” Various speakers spoke at the event.
Makinde, in his keynote address at the summit, spoke on the imperative of federalism. He emphasised that fiscal federalism and devolution of powers remain the only way to take Nigeria out of the woods. According to him, power must be devolved to the federating units, especially powers to control natural resources and state security architecture, in order to avoid the path of self-destruct.
Makinde said: “As we continue to deliberate on the future of democracy in Nigeria, let us remember that true federalism is the way forward. Restructuring the Nigerian State and giving the federating units more powers is the route to economic prosperity. We are the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but our federalism exists in name only. Students of political history will tell you that what we have been practising is, in fact, a unitary system of government–where more powers are concentrated in the central government.”
He said concentration of power at the centre is the bane of national development: “…You can easily identify why we are experiencing developmental challenges across the board. We are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. For true federalism to thrive, the federating units should have more powers and autonomy…”
For Makinde, power must be devolved along the two critical lines of control over natural resources and state security architecture. When states take control of their resources, they will have more funds to execute developmental projects, putting an end to going cap-in-hand to Abuja for federal allocations on monthly, he said. He affirmed that, once states control their natural resources, each state will become more independent and can decide how to develop its natural resources as it so desired.
Governor Makinde also averred: “The prevailing security situation in Nigeria as a whole has shown how closely linked security is to development. Without a secured environment, all efforts to attract investments will be in vain. Nobody wants to put their money where they are not sure of making a profit.”
A Realist Despite His Convictions
As vocal as he is on devolution of power, Governor Makinde is a realist who knows that the federating units cannot be islands, standing on their own. For him, collaboration between the federating units and the government at the centre to engender true federalism, in line with the Nigerian Constitution, is a panacea to stunted national growth and uneven development. For him, such a collaboration will attract beneficial economic activities to the various states and their people.
For Makinde, there is a strong link between the trio of fiscal federalism, restructuring and state police and running a government that takes the interest of the people as the topmost priority. He said a constitutional reform to accommodate these ideas, if governance would be beneficial to the people, is imperative.
Makinde restated this conviction when he chaired the 85th birthday lecture of a former governor of Osun State and a former acting national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan on 17 January, 2024.
Speaking at the event, the Oyo State governor restated the need for fiscal federalism, restructuring and state police, among others. “I also agree that there is a vital link between these three constitutional issues and the ‘people first’ type of governance.
“You will agree with me that if some of the functions of the Federal Government are decentralised and put in the purview of the state, the people will begin to spend more time focused on getting their state governors to function more effectively.”
On Local Government Autonomy
Makinde, last July, laid bare his mind on the ruling by the Supreme Court granting financial autonomy to the third tier of government, the local government areas. He said the ruling by the apex court created a lacuna which the states can challenge at the court.
Section 162(6) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) states that “each state shall maintain a specific account to be called State-Joint Local Government Account into which shall be paid all allocations to the local government councils of the state from the Federation Account and from the government of the state.” But the apex court ruled that the Federal Government should henceforth pay allocations directly to the LG councils.
The Supreme Court also held that state governments are abusing their powers by retaining and using the funds meant for the local government areas. It therefore ordered the Federal Government to withhold allocations of local government areas governed by unelected officials.
In response, Makinde conveyed a meeting to talk on local government administration, develop solutions and ensure a seamless implementation of the judgment.
“I called this meeting because I felt that, even though we have not seen the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment of the Supreme Court, we have to be proactive and discuss the decision of the Supreme Court as it concerns the financial autonomy of the local government councils because I believe a lacuna has been created between the decision and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that we all swore to uphold.
“The law is the law and when there is a conflict, yes, we should go to the court. But it behoves us to look for our own homegrown solutions that can ensure that we have transparency and that our people do not suffer. This is because when two elephants are fighting, it is the grass that will suffer…,” he said.
Governor Makinde has repeatedly stated that he has no issue with local government autonomy, but he would continue to speak against the lacuna.
“I’m here to repeat myself unequivocally, I am not against elected representatives of the people carrying out their constitutional duties. But what I will speak up against is anyone trying to create a constitutional lacuna where none exists or to turn one arm of government against the other…,” he said at the meeting.
On Tax Reforms Bill
Last Saturday, Makinde clarified his position on the contentious Tax Reforms Bill before the National Assembly, declaring that he was not against it. Speaking during a media chat on the state-owned media outfit, Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), he, however, insisted that all the grey areas in the Bill should be looked into. He urged the Federal Government to engage with a wider range of stakeholders to achieve a meaningful reform.
Maintaining His Anti-Godfather Posture To The End
Governor Makinde has, at any available forum, been expressing his abhorrence for godfather and godfatherism. From 2005 up till now, he has been a vocal advocate for electing people into public offices purely on merit, rather than through the influences of some godfathers.
Makinde attributed his electoral victory in 2019, not to godfatherism, but to God and massive support of the electorate. He stood by the same conviction before and after his re-election in 2023.
Almost mid-way into his second-term tenure, his position remains the same; relating with godfathers and godfatherism with a very long pole. However, can Mr Governor hold on to this conviction to the end or shift ground before the expiration of his tenure on 29 May, 2027? The question became imperative in view of ongoing scheming to produce a successor for Makinde, especially from his ruling party, the PDP.
Governor Makinde has made public his position on who would take over from him in 2027. He has openly stated that he would not support any candidate above the age of 50 years. For him, anybody above that age cannot keep up with the pace of ensuring a faster development of the state. However, can Makinde assume the role of producing the next governor of Oyo State without necessarily putting on the garb of a godfather?
Chief Niyi Aborisade, a PDP governorship aspirant, in a recent interview I had with him, acknowledged the giant developmental strides of Governor Makinde so far. He described the governor in glowing terms as regards his stellar performances. Aborisade, however, urged the governor to review his stance on having a successor below 50-year-old. According to him, age is not a factor as regards the art of purposeful and effective governance. The PDP governorship aspirant counseled Makinde to allow for an open field for all aspirants to participate in a free and fair party primary to produce a credible and acceptable PDP candidate ahead the 2027 elections.
As his administration is gradually going on its final lap, it remains to be seen if Governor ‘Seyi Makinde, an ardent promoter of good governance, devoid of godfather and godfatherism, will remain committed to his convictions to the end. Can he resist the alluring temptation of being worshipped as a godfather? History beckons as 2027 steadily approaches.
•Falade is the Editor/CEO, Newscoven.com.
