Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), has cautioned members of the state House of Assembly against taking actions they might regret, insisting that he will remain in office until May 29, 2027.
Gatekeepers News reports that Makinde spoke on Tuesday while presenting the proposed N1.12 trillion budget for the 2027 fiscal year to the lawmakers.
The governor, who made the remarks in a seemingly humorous manner, said that although he expected to move to Abuja after the 2027 general election, he would still have several months in office to take decisions that residents of the state would not forget.
“Please, be careful what you do to me because, after the election, I will still be the governor of this state until May 29, 2027,” Makinde said.
“Even though I will be moving to Abuja, I can still do something in this state between February and May that people will never forget.”
To illustrate his point, Makinde recalled an incident from his secondary school days at Bishop Philips Academy, Ibadan, involving a teacher who flogged students after claiming to have received a spiritual revelation about his impending death.
“The man went to church one Sunday, and the following Monday, before we had even commenced learning, he asked for a cane and flogged us all. We were wondering what we had done,” he recalled.
According to the governor, the teacher later explained that he had received a spiritual message suggesting that one of the students had done something that could lead to his death.
“He said, ‘You all thought I would die. I won’t die until June, and you will all never forget it.’
“And truly, we never forgot it until June, when we graduated. So, don’t let me say the same thing to you all. Until May 29, 2027, don’t let me do something that people will never forget,” Makinde added.
Budget of sustained progress
The proposed 2027 budget, tagged “Budget of Sustained Progress”, has a total expenditure of N1.12 trillion, with capital expenditure accounting for N670.03 billion, representing 60.07 per cent of the total allocation.
Recurrent expenditure is projected at N445.31 billion, representing 39.93 per cent of the budget.
Makinde’s comments come amid the recent resignation of some key political appointees in his administration, including his former Chief of Staff, Segun Ogunwuyi.
Ogunwuyi resigned in October after aligning with Sharafadeen Alli, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the state.
Reacting to the departures, Makinde said he was keeping track of those who had left his administration but maintained that their decisions would not affect the government’s operations.
The governor also disclosed that one of the female officials who resigned had approached him with what he described as an impossible request. He said she submitted her resignation after he declined to grant the request.
Makinde, however, insisted that the recent resignations would not distract his administration or undermine its commitment to fulfilling its mandate.
