What Makinde told me four years ago – Oyo APM deputy gov’ship candidate, Open Salawu

The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) deputy governorship candidate in Oyo State, Open Salawu, has disclosed that Governor Seyi Makinde had, about four years ago, urged him to take on greater leadership responsibilities, a counsel he said he only fully understood with time.

Salawu made the disclosure in a post on his Facebook page while reflecting on his political journey and the conversations he had with Makinde before his emergence as the party’s deputy governorship candidate ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to him, Makinde had first told him nearly four years ago: “Open, you need to take on some leadership roles.”

Salawu said he initially did not attach much significance to the statement because he already considered himself a leader in his own right.

Salawu’s remarks come against the backdrop of growing political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, with political actors and groups increasingly positioning themselves around questions of leadership succession, regional representation, experience and generational change.

He, however, explained that Makinde returned to the issue early last year when he assigned him a specific responsibility and directed him to resolve a particular challenge.

He said the governor subsequently reinforced the message earlier this year, telling him, “The space is right, and the timing matters.”

Salawu said his experience of working with Makinde had deepened his understanding of the governor’s leadership style, particularly his ability to identify challenges, assess the right timing and prepare people for responsibilities before they become obvious to others.

“He didn’t bring it up again until early last year, when he gave me a specific responsibility and told me to go fix the problem,” Salawu said.

“Then earlier this year he said it again: ‘The space is right, and the timing matters.”

The APM deputy governorship candidate described Makinde as a strategic thinker whose approach to leadership goes beyond immediate political calculations.

He argued that Nigeria requires leaders capable of understanding the country’s structural imbalances and developing solutions that can translate into sustainable development.

“A thinker like that is exactly what this nation needs to correct the imbalances,” Salawu said.

He further expressed support for the emergence of a younger President from the South-West, arguing that such leadership could provide a fresh perspective and renewed energy toward addressing Nigeria’s development challenges.

According to him, “A younger President from the South West would mean a lot for the development Nigeria is hoping for.”