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 President Bola Tinubu provided ₦50 billion to support the upgrade of the Ibadan Airport.
Makinde described the claim as false, insisting that the ongoing upgrade of the Ladoke Akintola International Airport is being funded entirely by the Oyo State Government.
He spoke on Tuesday at the APM North-West Town Hall Meeting in Katsina, where he responded to comments Wike had made a day earlier during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout.
Wike had said Tinubu provided ₦50 billion for Makinde’s plan to upgrade the airport to international standards, using the claim to argue that Makinde was also among former G5 governors who had benefited from the Tinubu administration.
“President Tinubu provided N50 billion to support Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde’s plan to upgrade Oyo Airport into an international airport. So, it’s not correct to say I’m the only G5 governor benefiting from Tinubu’s government,” Wike said.
Makinde, however, disputed the claim and said the Federal Government had not provided the money.
“My attention was called to an interview granted yesterday by the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, where he said that the President gave N50 billion to Oyo State or to me to upgrade the airport in Ibadan to international standards.
“I want to say that claim is false. The President did not give N50 billion to me or to Oyo State to upgrade the Ibadan Airport. The airport upgrade project is being undertaken 100 per cent with the money of Oyo State,” Makinde said.
The governor said the airport project was initiated by his administration, with the upgrade of the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport launched in September 2024 at an initial cost of ₦41 billion.
The domestic terminal upgrade was completed in October 2025, while work on the international terminal and facilities for agencies including customs and immigration is still ongoing, according to reports on the project.
The dispute is coming amid renewed political differences between Makinde and Wike ahead of the 2027 general election.
Both politicians were members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) G5 group that opposed the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, during the 2023 election.
The other members of the group were former Benue Governor Samuel Ortom, former Enugu Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and former Abia Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
Wike, who had also contested the PDP presidential primary, eventually became a minister under Tinubu after the 2023 election, while Makinde has since emerged as the presidential candidate of the APM for the 2027 election.
The latest exchange adds to the political disagreements between the two former G5 allies, particularly over Wike’s support for Tinubu’s 2027 bid and Makinde’s decision to pursue his own presidential campaign.
