Political friendships in Nigeria age quickly; yesterday’s ally can become today’s courtroom adversary. Seyi Makinde and Nyesom Wike once shared a strategy table. They led the G5 governors who defied their party’s presidential bid in 2023 and insisted on a southern party chair. Their alliance helped President Bola Tinubu win power. It also began their quiet separation.
The split widened after the election. Wike took a ministerial seat in the APC government. Makinde stayed in the PDP and grew wary. What looked like tactical alignment soon appeared to be ambition in disguise, and suspicion flowed both ways.
Control of the PDP became the battlefield. The National Secretary position, held by Senator Samuel Anyanwu, is the current prize. Wike accuses Makinde of refusing to honour agreements and trying to replace Anyanwu with Ude Okoye. Makinde’s camp paints Wike as an APC insider, weakening the opposition before 2027. The quarrel travelled from the airwaves to the pavement.