Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has dismissed allegations by former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, that President Bola Tinubu approved N50 billion in support for Oyo State after the January 2024 Ibadan explosion. Speaking through his Special Adviser on Media, Dr Sulaimon Olarenwaju, the governor described the claim as baseless and challenged Fayose to provide evidence. Olarenwaju said the allegation lacked credibility and should not be taken seriously without proof.
“He who makes an allegation must provide evidence. Let him produce proof of what he is claiming,” Olarenwaju said, adding that Fayose “lacks credibility,” insisting that anyone making such claims must substantiate them.
Fayose made the allegation on Friday while appearing on TVC’s Politics Tonight, where he accused Makinde of concealing an alleged N50 billion support from the presidency. He claimed the funds were not paid into Oyo State’s accounts but were linked to Makinde’s visit to President Tinubu after the explosion.
“You did not tell Nigerians that you got, at the prerogative and mercy of Mr President, N50 billion in support of the explosion in Ibadan,” Fayose said. “The N50 billion did not come into the coffers of Oyo State. It came as a result of your interface with the president.”
Responding, Olarenwaju denied that any such donation was made, insisting there was no official confirmation from either the president or the Federal Government. “There is no substance whatsoever in that claim. Did the president say anything like that? Did the Federal Government make such a statement? … There was no N50 billion donation,” he said.
Fayose’s remarks followed Makinde’s recent declaration that he would not support Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027 and his disclosure that he rejected a request to help organise the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State.
The former Ekiti governor also accused Makinde of breaching the confidentiality of discussions with the president. “But the same Governor Makinde went public to reveal all the discussions he had with the president,” Fayose said, adding that Makinde’s preferred candidate “will not contest under the platform of the PDP.”
