Accord Party governorship candidate in Oyo State, Oriyomi Hamzat, has claimed that he was among those who brought Governor Seyi Makinde into the race for the governorship of the state and helped secure his victory.

Hamzat, a popular Ibadan-based broadcaster, also said he deserved recognition for the achievements recorded by the Makinde administration, insisting that he supported the governor’s emergence because he believed he would work for the people of Oyo State.

The broadcaster made the remarks while addressing members of the Accord Party in Ibadan on Saturday, amid the widening political differences between him and Makinde ahead of the 2027 elections.

Hamzat said his support for Makinde was never motivated by contracts or personal benefits, stressing that his only expectation was for the governor to deliver good governance to the people.

“Seyi Makinde has reformed Oyo. Hence, we are not following you. Who brought Seyi Makinde? I was the one. I was one of those that brought him and supported him as governor,” Hamzat said.

He questioned why he was not being credited for the positive developments under the administration, while critics allegedly continued to associate him with only the negative aspects of the government.

“All those good things, why don’t you give me the credit? Why is it that it is the unpleasant side that people are using to attack me?” he asked.

Hamzat recalled his role in campaigning for Makinde and said the confidence members of the public had in him contributed to the governor’s electoral success

“People have called me an ungrateful person. How? Is it not the same Oriyomi that came to you to campaign for him (Makinde), the belief you have in me showed in the result of the election,” he said.

He maintained that his relationship with the government was not transactional, insisting that he did not support Makinde in expectation of government contracts.

“I’m not following government because of contracts, I had an agreement with the government that I support that they will take care of the masses. No transactional relationship whatsoever,” Hamzat said.

He added that he only wanted the people of Oyo State to acknowledge that the person he had introduced and supported had performed well in office.

“I just want the people to applaud me that the person I introduced to them is performing well,” he said.

The comments come amid an increasingly visible political divergence between Hamzat and Makinde, who were previously regarded as close political allies.

Makinde, who is serving his second term as governor, has moved to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) to pursue his presidential ambition ahead of the 2027 election.

The governor was formally presented as the APM presidential candidate in May 2026.

The APM subsequently adopted Adekanmbi as its consensus governorship candidate, with Makinde describing the arrangement as part of the continuation of his administration’s “Omituntun” agenda.

Hamzat, on the other hand, is seeking to succeed Makinde as governor on the platform of the Accord Party.

He declared his governorship ambition in January and subsequently obtained the party’s expression of interest and nomination forms.