Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde on Thursday declared his intention to contest Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), unveiling a new opposition alliance aimed at challenging the ruling establishment.
Makinde announced his candidacy at a joint mega-rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APM held at Mapo Hall in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
“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 told supporters.
The governor said worsening economic hardship and governance failures had pushed many Nigerians into “survival mode daily,” accusing public officials of abandoning their responsibilities to citizens.
Makinde said opposition forces were determined to unite ahead of the 2027 elections despite doubts about their ability to form a coalition.
“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,” Makinde said.
He said the alliance between the PDP and the APM would enable the opposition bloc to field candidates for all elective positions in the 2027 general election.
Makinde said “We will field candidates from the presidency to state assemblies, and everything in between.”
Earlier, Makinde led the Taminu Turaki faction of the PDP in Oyo State to sign a memorandum of understanding with the APM as part of the coalition arrangement.
Makinde and APM National Chairman Yusuf Dantalle signed the agreement on behalf of their parties.
Under the deal, candidates from the PDP faction seeking governorship, National Assembly and state assembly seats in 2027 are expected to contest under the APM platform rather than the PDP.