A Chieftain of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), Alhaji Adebisi Olopoeyan, has fired back at Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, accusing him of ingratitude. Newsbreaknaija reports.
He insisted that his contributions to the governor’s political journey cannot be erased or dismissed.
Olopoeyan was reacting to comments made by Makinde during a recent media chat with Mayor Isaac Brown, where the governor reportedly downplayed his (Olopoeyan’s) political relevance during the 2023 governorship election, noting that the politician was not in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the time.
Makinde had said, “Olopoeyan was not with us in 2023. He was in NNPP. Just go and look at the votes NNPP got in Oyo State. So, don’t talk about him.
”But Olopoeyan, responding through a statement on Wednesday, rejected the governor’s attempt to use his non-membership of the PDP in 2023 to dismiss his political contributions, insisting that Makinde could not tell the story of his political rise without acknowledging the roles he played.
His statement strongly challenged Makinde to acknowledge the individuals and political networks that helped lay the foundation for his emergence as governor in 2019.
He further accused the governor of forgetting those who stood by him during his early political struggles, claiming that he was instrumental in building the grassroots political support that helped Makinde secure his first governorship victory in 2019.
“Makinde must be an ingrate, but I am very sure that he cannot talk about his political history without mentioning my name,” Olopoeyan said.
He maintained that his contributions went beyond party membership, claiming that he personally helped establish the NNPP in Oyo State to test his political strength without access to government resources.
The APM chieftain further claimed that he mobilised influential grassroots political figures, whom he described as gatekeepers, to support Makinde’s successful 2019 governorship campaign.
According to him, the governor’s political victory was not achieved independently but was supported by the efforts of people who helped build the coalition that eventually delivered the PDP candidate.
“I played major roles and he can testify to that. I singlehandedly brought NNPP to Oyo State to try my political strength. I don’t have government money to spend like him, but I can say I am one of the strong foundation allies who worked for him to become the governor of our state.
“I brought 80 per cent of gatekeepers to him to work for him to become governor in 2019 after he had already lost elections many times with the kindergarten politicians following him around. He had never won any election on his personal strength,” Olopoeyan alleged.
He argued that the circumstances surrounding Makinde’s emergence in 2019 differed from those of his re-election in 2023, attributing the latter victory to the intervention of President Bola Tinubu and the support of influential members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The first election he won in 2019 that made him emerge as governor, God used me. And for his second term, God used President Tinubu, who made APC stalwarts to support him. He wouldn’t have won a second term,” he said.
Similarly, Olopoeyan mentioned the political developments that preceded Makinde’s reported alignment with the APM, claiming that he introduced the party to the governor at a time when his political options were limited.
“Now again, I introduced APM to him when there was no way for him again. I saved his political career,” Olopoeyan declared.
Olopoeyan insisted that present disagreements should not be used to erase past contributions.
