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The Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde, who is also a presidential candidate for the Allied People’s Movement (APM), has vowed to remain a strong political force in Oyo State by installing a successor and also delivering Oyo votes to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar if he has to step down at all in the forthcoming presidential election.
Although he is not running for the governorship position, he has anointed Bimbo Adekanmbi of APM as his preferred candidate.
The big news now is that Governor Makinde began his political campaign in Oyo State a few weeks ago, with clearly outlined agendas that are well known to many of his close allies and followers.
The top priority is to ensure that his chosen gubernatorial candidate, Adekanmbi, wins the upcoming election in the state.
While pursuing this goal, he is also determined to work towards his 2027 presidential bid. How does he plan to do that?
During the 2023 general elections, Governor Makinde was a prominent member of the G-5 governors, a group of aggrieved PDP governors who opposed Atiku Abubakar’s presidential bid over concerns about national leadership within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Although local party structures and some allied candidates diverged, Makinde later urged Oyo voters to focus on maintaining state stability, even though his active support for Atiku’s 2023 presidential campaign in Oyo was significantly limited.
But recent news regrading 2027 presidential election is different but similar to the 2023. Recent political reports and meetings, including high-profile opposition gatherings in Ibadan and Niger State, indicate that Makinde and Atiku engaged in discussions regarding a united opposition front. And there is a secret agenda between the two.
Speculation from political figures like Ayodele Fayose suggests these talks involve broader coalition alignment, with discussions touching on potential ticket configurations or collaborative structures ahead of the 2027 national elections but it may also go beyond this.
Currently, the campaign for his presidential bid is ongoing, and he is determined to demonstrate his strength in Oyo State, especially.
The real story is that Governor Makinde may not likely run for president but wants to prove a point by delivering Oyo State for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, just as he did for President Tinubu in the last election. According to one of the party leaders in APM who works closely with the government, Governor Seyi Makinde may step down his personal presidential ambitions to support Atiku Abubakar through a strategic broad opposition coalition designed to win major voting blocs like Ibadan against the ruling party. For Atiku to win Ibadan, Makinde would need to collapse his own presidential campaign under the APM within the South-West region. Despite earlier failed attempts to form a single alliance (such as the April 2026 Ibadan Opposition Summit), a formalized grand coalition between the ADC and APM would oblige Makinde to instruct his loyalists to vote for Atiku at the top of the ballot.
While the PDP structure in Oyo State is highly fractured—with an anti-Makinde faction led by Hazeem Gbolarumi aligned with external forces—Makinde still controls a highly potent local political structure. To deliver Ibadan to Atiku, Makinde would have to deploy his grass-roots campaign groups (like the Omituntun movement) to actively campaign for Atiku’s ADC ticket at the local government level.
In Nigerian politics, stepping aside for a rival candidate requires significant concessions. To give up Ibadan and Oyo State to Atiku’s presidential bid, Makinde would need guaranteed stakes in a potential Atiku presidency.
Since Governor Seyi Makinde initial plan to be Atiku running mate didn’t work out. Because Atiku had been working to be Atiku running mate and even promised to donate a substantial amount for the campaign if chosen didn’t work out, he is determimed go all out for Atiku with conditions, to work for former VP.
Although, governor Makinde chose to prove his political gravitas by directly entering the 2027 presidential race. Amid deep leadership fractures within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Makinde declared his intention to run for President under the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and a faction of the PDP. By executing this strategy, he aims to control his own independent political machinery rather than serving another candidate’s interests. But he is open to many options as election draw near.
To maintain his relevance, Makinde’s immediate focus is keeping tight control over Oyo State and building a regional block in the Southwest. During the 2023 elections, Makinde famously withheld support from Atiku as part of the G5 governors, which contributed to Bola Tinubu winning Oyo State in the presidential poll. However, Makinde later won his own gubernatorial re-election by a landslide, proving that he can command Oyo votes independently of national party alignments.
By running for the presidency himself and mobilizing local Oyo politicians under his banner (such as the recent defection of multiple Oyo federal lawmakers to the APM), Makinde is maximizing his political value. If he eventually decides to negotiate with major national figures like Atiku later in the election cycle, he will do so from a position of strength as an equal stakeholder, rather than a subordinate delivering votes. And latter option is likely to be adopted as 2027 general elections draw nearer.
And currently, the governor has begun his campaign.
The Governor has said his campaign for the 2027 presidential election will focus on resetting Nigeria and putting the interests of Nigerians above political, ethnic and religious considerations.
Makinde, who made this known in his latest newsletter, said the commencement of campaigns for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections marked the beginning of a national conversation on the state of the country, its future direction and the leadership required to move it forward.
He said the central message of his campaign would be the need to “reset our country so that it works for all Nigerians, not just a select few”.
The governor said he would, in the coming months, travel across the six geopolitical zones to engage stakeholders, stressing that the engagements would be designed not only to allow him to present his ideas but also to listen to Nigerians.
“I want to hear directly from Nigerians: workers whose incomes no longer meet their basic needs; business owners struggling to remain open; farmers concerned about security, production and access to markets; young people seeking opportunities to build meaningful lives; and families who want to feel safe in their homes and communities,” he said.
Isaac Abimbade
(08155107955)
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