A political advocacy group, Coalition for Consistent Leadership (CCL), has criticised Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, over what it described as a pattern of “selective loyalty and convenience-driven leadership,” following his recent reconciliation efforts with former political rivals.
The group’s reaction comes amid reports of Makinde’s meetings with key political figures, including Hon. Mulikat Akande-Adeola and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, both of whom were previously on opposing sides with the governor during the build-up to the 2023 elections.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Coalition for Consistent Leadership accused the governor of adopting a leadership style that “engages people only when politically expedient and distances itself when their relevance appears to diminish.”
“There is a kind of leadership we don’t talk about enough, a leadership that calls on people only when they are needed, uses their strength, their loyalty, their time, and then, when the moment passes, quietly distances itself from them,” the statement read.
The group argued that while such an approach may appear strategic on the surface, it ultimately erodes trust and weakens long-term political structures.
“At first, it may look like strategy. It may even look like strength. But in truth, it is weakness disguised as control. Because real leadership is not about how many people you can use; it is about how many people you can build, trust, and stand with,” the statement added.
Makinde, who rose to power in 2019 through a broad coalition of political stakeholders in Oyo State, has in recent years been at the centre of multiple political fallouts, particularly with former allies who accused his administration of sidelining them after gaining office.
His recent outreach to some of these figures, especially Akande-Adeola, who left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following disagreements with his leadership style has been interpreted in political circles as part of a broader strategy to rebuild alliances ahead of the 2027 succession race.
Similarly, his re-engagement in national political conversations alongside Atiku Abubakar signals a shift from his 2023 stance, when he was a key member of the G5 governors who opposed Atiku’s presidential ambition.
However, the Coalition for Consistent Leadership insists that such moves raise deeper concerns about consistency and sincerity in leadership, warning residents and political stakeholders in Oyo State to be mindful of what it described as “a growing pattern of transactional loyalty.”
“The same people you ignore today, the same people you distance yourself from, may be the very people you need tomorrow. But when that day comes, you may find that the doors you once walked through freely are now closed, not out of hatred, but out of memory,” the statement continued.
The group stressed that political actors and citizens alike remember how they are treated, noting that trust, once broken, is difficult to rebuild.
“Great leaders understand something simple but powerful: people are not stepping stones; they are partners in purpose. You don’t pick them up when convenient and drop them when you’re done,” it said.
The Coalition concluded by urging leaders across the country to prioritise integrity, consistency, and long-term relationship building, warning that “a leader who stands alone did not get there by accident, they got there by choice.”
