Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, through his Chief Press Secretary, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, has issued a direct challenge to former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, demanding proof for his claim that Makinde received N50 billion from President Bola Tinubu.
The challenge followed allegations made by Fayose during a television interview on Friday, where he accused Governor Makinde of failing to disclose a N50 billion presidential support package following the 2024 Ibadan explosion.
In a sharp rebuttal on Saturday, Olarenwaju dismissed the claim as baseless and questioned Fayose’s credibility. “He who makes an allegation must provide evidence. Let him produce proof for what he claims,” Olarenwaju stated in a phone interview.
He further attacked Fayose’s character, saying, “It is important to note that Fayose lacks credibility; even his family has denounced him. What credibility does he have?… If he has made a claim, let him substantiate it.”
Fayose had alleged that the N50 billion was not deposited into the state’s coffers but was tied to Makinde’s private meeting with President Tinubu after the explosion, which killed five people and damaged 55 houses in January 2024.
“You did not tell Nigerians you got, at the prerogative, at the mercy of Mr President, you got N50 billion in support of the explosion in Ibadan,” Fayose claimed during the TVC interview.
However, Olarenwaju firmly denied any such transaction took place. “There is no substance whatsoever. Did the President say anything of the sort? Did the federal government make such a statement? If neither the President nor the federal government said so, who is Fayose to claim it? There was no fifty-billion-naira donation,” he insisted.
The public clash is seen as part of the ongoing internal crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is divided into factions loyal to Minister Nyesom Wike and others, including Makinde’s camp, aligned with a group led by Kabiru Turaki.
Fayose, who openly declared, “I’m a Wike person. Anywhere Wike is, that is where I am,” used the interview to criticize Makinde for previously revealing private discussions with the president regarding the 2027 elections.
The demand for evidence from Makinde’s office raises the stakes in the war of words, placing the onus on the former Ekiti governor to either present verification or withdraw the serious financial allegation.
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