(Seyi Makinde. Photo by Politics Nigeria)
Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo State, disclosed that he received a warning from an All Progressives Congress (APC) leader not to run for president in 2027.
He claimed that the warning was given just before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) began what he called a thorough investigation into the state’s finances.
In response to a Federal High Court ruling rendered in Ibadan on Wednesday, Makinde made the revelation in the 142nd edition of his newsletter.
He claimed that the ruling supported his administration’s choice to contest the EFCC regarding what he called a “fishing expedition” into Oyo State’s financial records.
According to Makinde, the events began after he appeared on a television programme in April 2025, where he said he had the capacity to become Nigeria’s president, although he had not formally declared his intention to run.
He said the interview triggered political reactions, and that an APC chieftain publicly warned him on June 1, 2025, against contesting the presidency after the ruling party endorsed President Bola Tinubu as its sole candidate for the 2027 election.
The governor said that just a day after the warning, the EFCC wrote to the Oyo State Accountant-General requesting copies of every government contract and all payments made to contractors from 2021 up to the date of the letter, without identifying any contractor, company, transaction or alleged offence under investigation.
He said his administration did not refuse to cooperate with the anti-graft agency but instead asked it to specify the contractors or transactions being investigated so the relevant documents could be made available, adding that the commission did not respond, which forced the state government to seek the court’s interpretation of whether such a sweeping request was lawful.
Justice Nkeonye Maha, who delivered judgment in the case, affirmed that the EFCC has constitutional powers to investigate financial crimes but ruled that those powers must be exercised within the law.
The court described the commission’s request as speculative and unconnected to any specific allegation, holding that requests for information must be reasonable and tied to identified wrongdoing.
Reacting to the judgment, Makinde said he would not speculate on the reason behind the timing of the EFCC’s letter but invited Nigerians to draw their own conclusions from the sequence of events.
He stressed that the judgment was not a victory against the EFCC but a victory for the rule of law, adding that his administration has never claimed to be above legitimate investigation.
He maintained that accountability must always be evidence-based and warned against investigations carried out in the hope of uncovering wrongdoing without any specific allegations, saying the judgment reinforces the principle that all public institutions must operate within constitutional and legal limits.
Makinde also used the newsletter to dismiss claims that he entered the presidential race only to negotiate a future withdrawal from the contest, declaring that he remained committed to his ambition and stating that he did not step forward in order to step down, but was going forward.
The latest remarks come after the Federal High Court ruled in favour of the Oyo State Government by setting aside the EFCC’s June 2, 2025 letter seeking extensive financial records from the state, holding that the anti-graft agency could not conduct a blanket investigation without linking its request to specific allegations.
Makinde had earlier declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election, saying Nigeria needed a new direction, and announced his candidacy during a joint rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Ibadan, where he also unveiled a political alliance between his PDP faction in Oyo State and the APM ahead of the next general election.