Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has officially declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election under the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
Makinde made the announcement on Thursday during a joint mega-rally organised by the Peoples Democratic Party and the APM 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,” the governor declared before supporters at the rally.
Makinde said worsening economic hardship and governance failures had pushed many Nigerians into “survival mode,” accusing government officials of abandoning their responsibilities to citizens.
According to him, Nigerians have been “pushed to the wall” amid rising hardship, but insisted that opposition forces across the country were ready to unite ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“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 stated.
The governor also announced a formal political alliance between the PDP and the APM, describing it as the “first grand alliance” ahead of the 2027 polls.
He explained that the coalition would allow candidates loyal to his PDP faction to contest elections on the APM platform across all levels, including the presidency, governorship, National Assembly and state assembly elections.
“So today in Ibadan, the first grand alliance is formed. The alliance of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Allied Peoples Movement,” Makinde said.
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 preparations for the 2027 elections.
The agreement was signed by Makinde and APM National Chairman Yusuf Dantalle on behalf of both parties.
Under the arrangement, candidates aligned with the PDP faction are expected to contest governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly seats using the APM platform instead of the PDP in the 2027 elections.
