The crisis brewing in Seyi Makinde’s Oyo state recently requires urgent attention. Speculations and claims of impeachments and ousting are never trivial issues, hence, it can be said that there are possible calculated moves behind the scenes ensuring that one warring party sees the end of the other.
While there are calculated moves between two conflicting parties, there are political undertones, especially given situations surrounding the current governor of the state, Gov. Seyi Makinde and current Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja.
How it started
Ayo Fayose, had on Sunday, has accused Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo State, of plotting to depose Oba Rahidi Adewolu Ladoja, the Olubadan of Ibadanland.
In a post on his official X Twitter on Sunday, the former governor of Ekiti state asserted that the conspiracy will begin this week and that the monarch would be questioned.
“I have reliable information that Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State is planning to remove Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, the Olubadan of Ibadanland.
“The plot is to commence this week, with Government query to be issued against Olubadan, citing his absence at the failed coronation of High Chiefs in Ibadan land two weeks ago, and other allegations.
“As for us, we will be watching the Sìgìdì of Seyi Makinde tó fẹ́ se eré ẹ̀tẹ́”, he had written.
Counter claim by Seyi Makinde’s People’s Democratic Party
In a swift counter claim, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State raised fresh concerns over an alleged political plot targeting Governor Seyi Makinde. The party claimed that Oba Ladoja was collaborating with Speaker Ogundoyin and Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, the state’s former first lady, to remove Governor Makinde from office. Another allegation said the governor was thinking about taking action against the Speaker due to the Speaker’s alleged political support for the monarch.
The story took a fresh turn when Hon. Olasunkanmi Babalola, a member of the state House of Assembly, said that President Bola Tinubu had promised between N250 million and N1 billion to ensure Makinde is impeached.
However, the APC in Oyo state, refuted this claim. The party characterized the allegations of an impeachment scheme against the governor as a “badly written script” intended to divert attention and elicit unwarranted sympathy for the governor. The party said that Makinde’s vanity and naivete will force him to withdraw from politics soon.
The camp of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Ladoja has denied allegations that he is scheming to remove Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde from office. The king called the social media claims “false and misleading” in a statement released by his media assistant, Adeola Oloko.
In the same vein, Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, Debo Ogundoyin, has refuted claims that he accepted money from All Progressives Congress (APC) proxies in order to help Governor Seyi Makinde be impeached. He characterized the accusation as untrue and politically motivate, especially after his visit to Oba Ladoja over his ambition to contest for House of Reps (or even governorship) fueled rumours.
Possible calculated moves
Fayose’s statements have sparked reactions. At first, his comments reflect a long-standing political crisis that has brewed between the PDP camp of Nyesom Wike and Gov. Seyi Makinde, especially after Wike got a ministerial position with President Tinubu, while Seyi Makinde fell out with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His comments are instantly calculated as a move to destabilize the stronghold of Makinde’s grip in the state, as well as the state assembly.
It is important to recall that back in 2025, Wike ‘threatened’ to ‘put fire’ in states that support Fubara in the power tussle between he (Wike) and Fubara, the current governor of Rivers State. The event preceding Wike’s threat was when Bala Mohammed, the governor of Bauchi State and chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, expressed concern about the situation and stated that Fubara will take over the party’s Rivers organization.
The allegation on the grounds of the monarch’s plotted impeachment is a fertile one given the recent strain of mutuality between the governor and the monarch recently. While Gov. Makinde has intensified in the installment of lower monarchs and high chiefs in the state, his decision to crown three high chiefs in Ibadan in their absence (and Olubadan’s absence, too) has raised eyebrows across the state.
Hence, the crisis points to a Wike who succeeded in creating chaos in the PDP at the federal level. Recents moves by the FCT show that his mission is not over as he is doing all it can to ‘win hearts’ for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
What is next?
It remains to be seen how these claims and counter claims would turn out. Ayo Fayose, who started this whole crisis, has visited the Olubadan of Ibadan today but details of the visit has not yet been revealed.
What ENigeria Newspaper can gather as at the time of this analysis, however, is that this crisis would go a long way in shaping the politics of Oyo state, especially in the fate of the governor after his term runs out and the APC which would try to get back into the government of the state.
