Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, has formally declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election.
He announced his ambition at a joint mega rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Ibadan.
The declaration, made on Thursday before a large crowd of party supporters, stakeholders and political allies, signals a major shift in the opposition landscape ahead of the next general election cycle.
Announcing his bid, Makinde said: “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.”
The Governor criticised the state of the nation, noting that conditions have worsened for many citizens.
He said: “This is why, 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? 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 added that the country’s situation has “continued to deteriorate, putting the majority of Nigerians on survival mode on a daily basis”, accusing leaders of failing in their responsibility to citizens.
The rally also marked the formal unveiling of an alliance between the PDP and APM, which Makinde described as a strategic move to strengthen opposition forces ahead of 2027.
“They said the 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.
Outlining the scope of the alliance, the Governor declared: “So today in Ibadan, the first grand alliance was formed. The alliance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM). This handshake will allow us to field candidates at all levels. We will field candidates from top to bottom. We will field candidates from the presidency to state assemblies, and everything in between.”
