Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement, APM, presidential candidate Seyi Makinde has rejected a claim by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that the Federal Government provided ₦50 billion to support the upgrade of the Samuel Ladoke Akintola International Airport in Ibadan.
Makinde described the claim as false while speaking at the Makinde/Daura 2027 Presidential Town Hall meeting in Katsina on Tuesday.
His response came a day after Wike, during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout, said President Bola Tinubuhad made about ₦50 billion available to support the airport project in Oyo State.
Wike said the intervention was among the support provided by Tinubu to members of the former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, G5 governors, who supported his 2023 presidential bid.
Makinde, however, said neither he nor the Oyo State Government received the alleged ₦50 billion from Tinubu for the airport.
“I want to say that claim is false. The President did not give me or Oyo State N50 billion to upgrade the Ibadan Airport. The Ibadan Airport upgrade project is being undertaken 100 per cent with the funds of Oyo State.”
The governor said the project was being financed by his administration as part of its efforts to transform the airport into an international facility.
The Oyo State Government has been developing a new terminal at the airport as part of the upgrade. Makinde inspected the ongoing project on September 11 and said the transformation was intended to position the facility as an international gateway and improve the state’s connection to global markets.
Makinde’s position is also reflected in his 2026 budget presentation, where the upgrade of the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport to international standard was listed among projects being undertaken by the state government.
Wike’s original claim was made while responding to questions about whether Tinubu had adequately rewarded members of the former PDP G5 who supported him during the 2023 presidential election.
According to Wike, Tinubu had provided financial support to Makinde for the airport project despite political disagreements that later emerged between the President and the Oyo governor.
The FCT minister said he had been involved in discussions concerning Makinde’s interests and argued that the alleged ₦50 billion support was evidence that Tinubu had not deliberately withheld assistance from the Oyo governor.
Makinde’s latest response directly disputes that account.
The disagreement comes as both politicians are involved in political activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Makinde is the APM’s presidential candidate, while Tinubu is seeking a second term under the All Progressives Congress.
The latest exchange also revives the political history of the former PDP G5, whose members, including Wike and Makinde, broke with the party’s presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar during the 2023 election and supported Tinubu.
For now, the two sides have offered conflicting accounts over whether the Federal Government provided ₦50 billion for the Ibadan airport upgrade. No publicly available official financial record cited in the reports reviewed independently establishes that the alleged ₦50 billion was transferred to the Oyo State Government for the project.
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