The Chief Press Secretary to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, has dismissed former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose’s claim that Makinde received N50 billion in support from President Bola Tinubu following the 2024 Ibadan explosion.

The Ibadan explosion, which occurred in January 2024 at Adeyi Avenue, killed five people, injured 77, and damaged about 55 houses. Makinde had visited Aso Rock on January 22 to present a report of the incident to President Tinubu.

Olarenwaju, in a phone interview with our correspondent on Saturday afternoon, challenged Fayose to provide evidence for his allegations.

“He who makes an allegation must provide evidence. Let him produce proof for what he claims. It is important to note that Fayose lacks credibility; even his family has publicly denounced him. What credibility does he have? Such a person speaks ordinarily, and we should not pay attention. But if he has made a claim, let him substantiate it,” he said.

The CPS was reacting to remarks made by Fayose on TVC on Friday, in which the former governor accused Makinde of failing to disclose N50 billion in support from the presidency.

Fayose claimed the N50 billion was not deposited directly into Oyo State coffers but was tied to Makinde’s meeting with the president.

“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. He never said that to Nigeria. So, the president can say the explosion is not worth more than N10 billion.

“The N50 billion did not come into the coffers of Oyo State. It came with you coming to interface with the president because you came and said you met with the president,” Fayose said, adding:

“You only said a part where you said the president told you that ‘go and organise APC (All Progressives Congress) for me and I said I cannot organise. But you did not tell Nigerians what the president did for you and did for the good people of your state.”

When asked whether there was any substance to Fayose’s claim or if any donation was made, Olarenwaju stated:

“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.”

While there is no verified proof from Fayose, his claims follow Makinde’s earlier disclosure that he would not support Tinubu in the 2027 election. There, he had added that he turned down a request to help organise the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State:

Fayose also criticised Makinde for revealing private conversations with the president in the media, citing a similar past experience:

“He called me after an interview and said what he told me about not contesting against the president was private. It was not supposed to be public, and I was doing it in his interest so that they don’t drag his name into the contest.

But the same Governor Makinde went to the public and said all the discussions he had with the president and that he’s not going to be part of the president’s reelection. And I’m telling you, Governor Makinde’s candidate will not contest under the platform of the PDP.”

Aligning with the Wike-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he reaffirmed his loyalty to Minister Nyesom Wike:

“I’m a Wike person. Anywhere Wike is, that is where I am. I will never join the APC.”

The comments come amid ongoing internal PDP disputes, which have produced two factions: the Wike-led faction, under which Fayose aligns, and the Kabiru Turaki-led faction, to which Makinde belongs. (The PUNCH)

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