Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has declared his intention to contest the presidency in 2027 on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement.
Makinde made the announcement Thursday at a joint mega rally held by the Peoples Democratic Party and the APM at Mapo Hall, Ibadan. Addressing party supporters and political leaders, he said Nigeria was at a breaking point and needed urgent political reset.
“The time to reset Nigeria is now. Therefore, today, I, Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, announce my candidacy for the position of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
The governor said many Nigerians were struggling daily as leaders failed to protect their welfare. He argued that frustration over worsening economic and social conditions had pushed citizens to demand real change.
“For the past several months, one question has been at the top of my mind: where do we go from here? Is this how we should continue as a nation?” Makinde asked. “We have been pushed to the wall with the belief that we will turn against ourselves or, worse still, that we will become too weary to survive on a daily basis to fight back.”
Makinde also addressed doubts about opposition unity ahead of 2027, saying the real opposition was not a political party but Nigerians bearing the brunt of hardship.
“They said opposition cannot unite, but I am here today to say that it is a miscalculation. The opposition in Nigeria is not just a political party. The opposition is the everyday Nigerian for whom the country does not work,” he said.
He announced a new alliance between the PDP and APM that would allow both parties to field candidates for all elective positions, from the presidency down to state assemblies.
“So today in Ibadan, the first grand alliance is formed. The alliance of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Allied Peoples Movement. This handshake will allow us to field candidates at all levels,” Makinde said.
Ahead of the rally, Makinde led the Taminu Turaki faction of the PDP in Oyo State to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the APM. The agreement, signed with APM National Chairman Yusuf Dantalle, stipulates that PDP faction candidates for governor, senator, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly will contest under the APM platform in 2027.
