Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has arrived in Katsina State as he begins a fresh phase of his campaign for the 2027 presidential election.
Makinde is in Katsina for a North-West zonal town hall meeting with citizens, political stakeholders and other groups as part of the nationwide consultations being organised by his campaign ahead of the election.
The engagement is the first in a series of meetings planned across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation had announced that the North-West town hall would hold in Katsina on Tuesday, September 22.
The campaign said the meetings were designed to provide an opportunity for citizens and stakeholders to discuss issues affecting the country while also allowing the APM presidential candidate and his running mate, former Director-General of the Department of State Services, Lawal Musa Daura, to present their plans ahead of the 2027 election.
Tony Ehilebo, Special Adviser on Media and Digital Communication to Makinde, said the campaign had commenced nationwide consultation and grassroots mobilisation.
“As we continue with our consultation and mobilisation, it is imperative to, through you, inform Nigerians that we have commenced our scheduled town hall meetings for broad-based citizen and stakeholder engagement slated to hold in the six geo-political zones across the country,” Ehilebo said.
He added that the Katsina meeting was the beginning of the zonal engagements, with the campaign expected to move to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on September 25 for the South-South meeting.
The North-Central town hall is scheduled to take place in Lafia, Nasarawa State, on September 28, while the South-East meeting is billed for Enugu on September 30. Dates for engagements in the remaining zones are expected to be announced later.
The campaign has been built around Makinde’s “Reset Nigeria” message, with his team saying the consultations will focus on national stability, citizen welfare, accountability in governance, transparency in the management of public resources and greater citizen participation.
Makinde’s arrival in Katsina comes amid increased political activity around his presidential bid and comes weeks after the APM formally presented him as its presidential candidate.
The Oyo governor secured the APM presidential ticket at the party’s national convention in August and subsequently picked Daura as his running mate. Daura, a former intelligence chief, joined the APM after leaving the African Democratic Congress and was unveiled as Makinde’s running mate at the party’s convention in Bauchi.
The Katsina engagement also takes place against the backdrop of questions over the level of support for Makinde’s presidential ambition in his home state.
Last week, the Association of Mogajis in Ibadanland and the Ibadan Compound Peace Initiative rejected a purported endorsement of Makinde by some individuals who claimed to represent Mogajis and other community stakeholders in Ibadan.
A video circulating online had shown individuals declaring support for Makinde’s presidential ambition and also backing Bimbo Adekanmbi as the APM governorship candidate in Oyo State for the 2027 election.
However, Mogaji Asimiyu Ariori, President of the Association of Mogajis in Ibadanland, and Mogaji Dr Nurudeen Akinade, Coordinator of the Ibadan Compound Peace Initiative, said their organisations were not involved in the declaration.
They said the Association of Mogajis, which they stated has more than 400 Mogajis under Ariori’s leadership, was neither consulted nor approached before the declaration.
The two leaders urged Nigerians and residents of Oyo State to disregard the video, describing the purported endorsement as “a schematic drama and theatre.”
They also said the major traditional and community institutions in Ibadanland were not part of the declaration.
“The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Olubadan-in-Council and CCII including all Baales in Ibadanland don’t know anything about the endorsement,” the statement said.
The APM campaign has also received public backing from some political figures. At the inauguration of the party’s presidential campaign office in Abuja, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed described Makinde as a strong political figure and urged Nigerians not to dismiss the party’s campaign.
“Whoever disregards us is at his own peril, we are here to reset Nigeria and we are bringing in one of the best human capitals that Nigeria has ever produced at the sub-national and national level, that is Makinde,” Mohammed said.
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), also attended the event and said Makinde met the constitutional and political requirements to seek the presidency.
“We want a Nigeria of unity, inclusion; we have a candidate who is contesting for President today, my dear brother Makinde. Is he qualified to be President? Yes, he is qualified,” Obi said.
Obi also called for a free and credible election, saying Nigerians should be allowed to decide who governs them irrespective of political differences.
“What we are doing today, for us is not about desperation but we want Nigerians to make their choice. All of us should come together to build a new Nigeria. We can’t continue the way we are going, our people are hungry and poor,” he said.
He added, “Whoever wins genuinely from a free, fair, and credible election, we will all work together to save this country from collapse.”
