Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, has disputed a claim by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that President Bola Tinubu provided ₦50 billion to support the upgrade of the Ibadan Airport.

Makinde made the clarification on Tuesday at the APM North-West Town Hall Meeting in Katsina, saying the ongoing upgrade of the Ladoke Akintola International Airport was being financed entirely by the Oyo State Government.

His comments followed Wike’s appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout on Monday, where the FCT minister said the Tinubu administration had provided ₦50 billion to support Oyo State’s airport project.

Makinde described the claim as false, insisting that neither he nor the Oyo State Government received the alleged ₦50 billion from the Federal Government.

The governor said the airport project was being executed “100 per cent with the money of Oyo State”.

The dispute comes as Makinde continues consultations ahead of the 2027 presidential election. At the Katsina meeting, he also presented the APM’s “Reset Nigeria Agenda,” which focuses on the economy, education, security and governance.

Makinde said his proposed economic approach would prioritise entrepreneurship, skills development, knowledge and large-scale production, arguing that Nigeria needs to move beyond dependence on natural resources.

On education, he said his administration would focus on obtaining accurate data on out-of-school children and developing programmes to return them to classrooms.

He also linked insecurity to the lack of legitimate economic opportunities, citing the deaths of young Nigerians associated with illegal mining in Niger State. He advocated greater participation by state governments in mining while retaining Federal Government regulatory oversight.

The APM’s North-West consultation is part of the party’s wider engagements with stakeholders across Nigeria ahead of the 2027 election.