In a dramatic escalation of political tensions, former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has publicly released official documents which he claims prove that Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, received a hefty sum of N50 billion from the federal government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Allegation and the Evidence
Fayose's action comes as a direct response to Governor Makinde's previous challenge for him to provide evidence of the alleged fund receipt. The former governor, in a statement issued on Sunday, December 28, 2025, presented a memo purportedly from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. According to Fayose, this N50 billion was a special intervention fund disbursed to Oyo State following the tragic January 2024 explosion in Ibadan.
However, Fayose leveled a serious accusation against Governor Makinde, claiming a massive discrepancy in the allocation of the funds. He alleged that only N4.5 billion was actually released to assist the victims of the devastating Ibadan blast. The former Ekiti helmsman accused Makinde of diverting the remainder, and other undisclosed intervention funds, to finance his alleged presidential ambition.
A Direct Challenge and Further Claims
Fayose did not stop at the initial allegation. He threw down a legal gauntlet, daring Governor Seyi Makinde to take him to court over the claims. "I challenge Governor Seyi Makinde to sue me on this," Fayose declared in his statement.
He further intensified the controversy by asserting that he possesses proof of other financial interventions from the Tinubu administration that were received by the Oyo State Government but never disclosed to the public. "Let me also tell him that there are proofs of other intervention funds received from Tinubu’s administration by the Oyo State Government, which the governor refused to disclose to the people," Fayose added.
Political Ramifications and Context
This explosive revelation is set against the backdrop of internal strife within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Fayose explicitly linked Governor Makinde's alleged financial conduct to the ongoing crisis within the opposition party. He suggested that the governor's attacks on President Tinubu and his government are a smokescreen, motivated by the need to deflect attention from the purported diversion of federal funds for personal political projects.
The release of these documents marks a significant moment in Nigeria's political landscape, turning a war of words into a documented allegation that demands a response. The public and political commentators will now be watching closely to see if Governor Makinde accepts Fayose's challenge to pursue legal action or provides a counter-documentation to refute the claims.
