The Allied People’s Movement (APM) has declared Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde its preferred choice to lead the opposition against President Bola Tinubu in 2027, saying he has the strongest prospects of defeating the incumbent at the presidential poll. The party made its position known ahead of the August 31 meeting of the G-100, a […]
The Allied People’s Movement (APM) has declared Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde its preferred choice to lead the opposition against President Bola Tinubu in 2027, saying he has the strongest prospects of defeating the incumbent at the presidential poll.
The party made its position known ahead of the August 31 meeting of the G-100, a political pressure group advocating the emergence of a single opposition presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
National Publicity Secretary of the APM, Abubakar Yusuf, urged opposition presidential aspirants to set aside their individual ambitions and support Makinde in the interest of building a united political force capable of challenging the APC. He said consultations among opposition parties were progressing despite the sensitive interests involved, adding that Makinde was becoming a clearer choice for a possible consensus arrangement.
Yusuf’s comments come against the backdrop of reported difficulties in efforts to produce a single opposition candidate, with the camps of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi still appearing committed to their separate presidential ambitions. While acknowledging the challenges, the APM spokesman said the opposition should remain focused on what he described as the desire of Nigerians for a strong alternative to the Tinubu administration.
The party also pointed to the argument that the South should produce Tinubu’s successor in 2027, allowing the region to complete another four-year presidential tenure before power potentially returns to the North. Yusuf said this consideration could not be ignored but maintained that Makinde’s endorsement by the APM went beyond regional calculations.
According to Yusuf, Makinde’s performance in Oyo State and his appeal among young people, professionals and other groups of Nigerians gave him an advantage over other opposition contenders. He argued that the governor represented the type of leadership Nigerians were seeking, describing him as a politician associated with practical ideas and solutions rather than theories and constant finger-pointing.
The APM spokesman also claimed that Makinde had a practical blueprint for tackling the country’s security, economic and infrastructure problems. He said the governor had the capacity to secure the country, revive the economy, create jobs and improve infrastructure, presenting these qualities as reasons the party believes he could mount a credible challenge against Tinubu.
Asked about the apparent reluctance of the Atiku and Obi camps to embrace the idea of a single opposition candidate, Yusuf declined to speak for the two politicians. He instead appealed to all opposition stakeholders to put aside their personal interests and work towards a common candidate, insisting that the overriding objective should be to defeat the APC in 2027.
The search for an opposition consensus candidate remains one of the major political developments ahead of the 2027 presidential election, as opposition parties and groups continue consultations on how to build a united platform capable of mounting a strong challenge against the ruling party.