The Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde, has officially declared his intention to contest for the office of President in the 2027 general elections under the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement.
The governor made this known at a rally held at Mapo Hall in Ibadan, the state capital, amid a growing political realignment in the state involving factions of the Peoples’ Democratic Party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The rally was organised to formalise the alliance between the Makinde-led faction of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
“I, Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, Excellency, announce my candidacy for the position of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
Makinde had earlier led the Taminu Turaki faction of the PDP in Oyo State to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the APM as part of a strategic alliance for the forthcoming elections.
The governor and the National Chairman of the APM, Dr. Yusuf Dantalle, signed the agreement on behalf of both parties.
Under the agreement, candidates of the PDP faction contesting for governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly seats are expected to run on the platform of the APM rather than the PDP in the 2027 elections.
The governor called on opposition leaders to unite against what he described as a deliberate effort by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.
He maintained that Nigeria no longer operates a democracy without a political landscape that guarantees a level playing field for opposition parties, free from interference by the ruling party.
Makinde urged Nigerians to rise above being political spectators and bystanders, assuring that with the collective participation of eligible voters, Nigeria would record a historic reset in 2027.
The National Chairman of APM, Dr. Dantalle, said an urgent change in the status quo was needed. He cited insecurity, kidnapping, harassment, and the struggles of ordinary Nigerians to pay school fees and access basic healthcare as reasons to rescue Nigeria in the interest of Nigerians.
Packaged by Adekunle Adegboyega
