Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has formally declared his intention to contest for the presidency in the 2027 general election, making his declaration on Thursday in Ibadan during a joint mega rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM).
The event, which drew party supporters, stakeholders and political allies, marked a significant moment in the evolving political realignments within the opposition ahead of the next election cycle.
Makinde, who was first elected governor on the PDP platform in 2019 and will complete his second term in 2027, used the occasion to sound an alarm over what he described as a deliberate effort by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.
“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,” Makinde declared to cheers from the crowd.
The governor painted a grim picture of the nation’s current state, saying the situation has “continued to deteriorate, putting the majority of Nigerians on survival mode on a daily basis.” He accused government officials responsible for citizens’ welfare of having abdicated their duties.
“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.
He said Nigerians 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 dismissed claims that the opposition cannot unite, calling such assertions 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.
The governor also announced the formalisation of an alliance between the PDP and APM, describing it as the “first grand alliance” that would enable the former ruling party to field candidates for all positions in the 2027 election.
“So today in Ibadan, the first grand alliance is formed. This handshake will allow us to field candidates at all levels. We will field candidates from the presidency to state assemblies, and everything in between,” Makinde said.
He called on Nigerians to rise above being political spectators and bystanders, assuring that with the collective participation of all eligible voters, the country would record a historic reset come 2027.
Makinde maintained that Nigeria no longer operates a true democracy without a political landscape that guarantees a level playing ground for opposition parties, free from the interference of the ruling party.
