KEY POINTS

• Makinde disclosed his advisory council, led by SAN Bolaji Ayorinde, has engaged PDP governorship aspirants including Speaker Adebo Ogundoyin, SUBEB Chairman Nureni Adeniran and former Finance Commissioner Bimbo Adekanmbi
• The governor said the 2027 candidate will emerge through consensus on April 8 and promised to communicate his own preferred successor “in due course”
• Makinde also warned that Nigeria risks devolving into a one-party state, arguing that fragmented opposition weakens democratic accountability

Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde revealed Sunday that his administration has engaged credible individuals in a structured Oyo 2027 succession process and will announce his preferred candidate in due course.

Writing in his April newsletter, tagged “The Business of Governance,” Makinde said he tasked his advisory council on March 21 with engaging all PDP governorship aspirants and providing recommendations in continuation of his Omituntun 3.0 agenda. The council operates under Senior Advocate of Nigeria Bolaji Ayorinde.

Five aspirants step forward for PDP screening

“We have engaged with a number of credible individuals as part of a deliberate transition process, and I will communicate a decision in due course, one that reflects both the progress we have made and the future we must secure,” Makinde said.

Among the aspirants who stepped forward are House of Representatives member Adedeji Olajide, SUBEB Chairman Nureni Adeniran, former Finance Commissioner Bimbo Adekanmbi, Agribusiness Development Agency Chairman Debo Akande and State House of Assembly Speaker Adebo Ogundoyin. Makinde earlier announced that the party’s candidate will emerge through consensus on April 8.

Meanwhile, the governor linked the Oyo 2027 succession timeline to a wider concern about the state of Nigerian democracy.

Makinde warns against one-party state drift

Beyond the governorship race, Makinde used the newsletter to warn that Nigeria risks devolving into a one-party state. He noted that opposition voices face open threats and fragmentation, conditions he said weaken the accountability mechanisms that democracy depends on.

“When opposition becomes ineffective, accountability weakens,” he said. “And when the government cannot be held to account, the everyday challenges we face become harder to resolve.”

He also raised concern about citizens withdrawing from public life out of frustration. Furthermore, Makinde said he plans to engage stakeholders across sectors to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic space in ways that are inclusive, lawful and sustainable.