Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has declared his intention to defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, while welcoming thousands of former APC members into the Allied Peoples Movement. Makinde, who is the APM presidential candidate, spoke on Monday in Ibadan during the Boye Nation/JAF Movement Mega Concert organised to receive the defectors. […]
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has declared his intention to defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, while welcoming thousands of former APC members into the Allied Peoples Movement.
Makinde, who is the APM presidential candidate, spoke on Monday in Ibadan during the Boye Nation/JAF Movement Mega Concert organised to receive the defectors.
The new APM members came from different parts of Oyo State and were led by Ajiboye Sangogade, popularly known as Boye Nation, a personal assistant and loyalist of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.
Makinde said the development had strengthened his confidence in the party’s prospects ahead of the 2027 elections, maintaining that God, Oyo residents and Nigerians generally were behind the APM.
He declared that the party would secure victory across the elections, saying the growing number of defectors showed that its anticipated success was approaching.
The governor also turned his attention to the APC governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, advising him to focus on convincing voters rather than repeatedly attacking his administration.
Makinde said Alli should direct his campaign towards the APM governorship candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi, whom he presented as an accomplished accounting professional.
He also responded to criticism over the use of diesel generators to power streetlights, saying the issue should be considered against the background of Nigeria’s unresolved electricity challenges.
According to Makinde, President Bola Tinubu had previously promised Nigerians that he should not be re-elected if he failed to fix the country’s electricity problem within his first four years.
The governor argued that if the electricity challenge had been resolved, his administration would not have needed diesel generators to power streetlights.
Makinde further defended his professional background as an engineer and Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers while questioning the professional accomplishments of Alli, who is a lawyer.
At the gathering, Makinde said the APM’s growing support base indicated that victory was within reach.
“Today, we are welcoming thousands of APC members into the Allied Peoples’ Movement,” he said, adding that the party would win massively in the 2027 elections.
The event attracted several APM leaders and candidates, including the party’s senatorial, House of Representatives, House of Assembly and local government chairmanship candidates.
However, the APC rejected the governor’s presentation of the event, describing the rally as shameful and accusing his administration of allegedly forcing some residents and traders to attend.
The party also questioned the rehabilitation of the Lekan Salami Stadium and criticised its use as a political venue, while alleging that the facility had been rejected by CAF for football matches.
The competing claims reflect the intensifying political activity in Oyo State and nationally as parties and candidates begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 elections.