Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar asked him to serve as his running mate in the 2027 presidential election.
Naija News reports that Makinde made this known during an interview on Arise Television on Friday.
According to the governor, Atiku and members of his team approached him with the proposal, but he turned down the offer and advised them to consider another person.
According to Makinde, accepting the running mate offer would have been an easy route to pursuing his political ambition if that had been his priority.
He said, “Atiku’s people approached me to run with him as running mate. If ambition was to drive me, that was actually the surest path.”
Meanwhile, Makinde has revealed that President Bola Tinubu never contacted him throughout the 56 days that schoolchildren and their teachers were abducted in the state and remained in captivity.
Makinde said he expected the President to reach out during the crisis but received no call, despite efforts to arrange a meeting with the Nigerian leader.
The governor made the disclosure during an interview with Arise Television on Friday, where he also spoke about his relationship with Tinubu and the possibility of a political disagreement ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Recalling his attempts to reach the President after the abduction, Makinde said he believed the Federal Government should show concern whenever any part of the country faced such a security challenge.
He said, “I tried to see the President when our students and our children and their teachers were kidnapped, because I thought if any part of Nigeria is going through such a challenge, the President should be interested. Actually, I expected the President to call me.”
When asked whether Tinubu eventually contacted him, the governor replied, “He did not. No. Till tomorrow.”
