Don’t Contest Presidency — Makinde Reveals APC Warning, Speaks on EFCC Investigation

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has revealed that he was warned by an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain not to contest the 2027 presidential election.

The governor said the warning came shortly before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) launched what he described as a broad investigation into the state’s finances.

Makinde made the disclosure in the 142nd edition of his newsletter while reacting to a Federal High Court judgment delivered in Ibadan on Wednesday. The governor said the ruling vindicated his administration’s decision to challenge the EFCC over what he called a “fishing expedition” into Oyo State’s financial records.

According to Makinde, the events began after he appeared on Channels Television 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 led to 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.

Makinde 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. He said the commission did not respond, forcing 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.

The governor maintained that accountability must always be evidence-based and warned against investigations carried out in the hope of uncovering wrongdoing without any specific allegations. He also said the judgment reinforces the principle that all public institutions must operate within constitutional and legal limits.

Makinde 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, he said, “I did not step forward in order to step down. I am 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. The court held 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 announcing his candidacy during a joint rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Ibadan. He also unveiled a political alliance between his PDP faction in Oyo State and the APM ahead of the next general election.