Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement, Seyi Makinde, has defended his decision to contest the 2027 presidential election against a sitting President from the South-West, citing the 1999 contest between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae as a precedent.
Makinde, who spoke at the APM South-West town hall meeting in Akure, Ondo State, on Thursday, argued that the region could produce multiple presidential candidates without undermining its interests, insisting that Nigerians should be allowed to choose their preferred candidate based on competence rather than regional entitlement.
Makinde described the South-West “as the historic vanguard of Nigeria’s progress and urged citizens to reject turn-by-turn politics and nepotism.”
Addressing members of the party at the International Culture and Event Centre, Akure, Makinde warned the people of the South-West, saying APM was the only answer to the Nigerian problems.
“The Allied People’s Movement is the only answer to the problems bedevilling Nigeria. Within the last three years, we haven’t gotten it right; we are indeed going to prove that we are the best. We have already set to work, and everything is on the ground.
”People say, why are you contesting in this election when the South-West already has somebody seated on that seat? And I’ve explained to them, we do have an example here in the South-West when, in 1999, the entire Nigeria ceded the Presidency to the region, and we had two of our fathers, President Obasanjo, and Baba Olu Falae. They contested the Presidency, both from the South-West, and heaven did not fall.
”As a matter of fact, what the South-West did was to present two of their finest, two of their best candidates for Nigeria to choose from. Is there anything wrong with that this time around? I’ll get there. South-West must say no to politics of deceit.”
He said he would prove that he was the best presidential candidate for the country, saying the country had not got it right in the last three years of the All Progressives Congress administration.
If elected, Makinde promised to reset Nigeria, urging the people to get their Permanent Voter Cards and vote for APM in the forthcoming poll.
”APM is a reset agent; get your PVC, and we will reset Nigeria. We want a Nigeria that works for everybody. It is not a Nigeria that works for very few.
“We say no to a turn-by-turn Nigeria where they say, ‘ Oh, it is my turn to run a nepotistic administration. And I’m saying this in front of the South-West people; we’re known for fairness.
”How do you have a Nigeria where somebody says, ‘Well, it is my turn’? You were given the opportunity. If you take your mind back to 1999, the South-West voted massively for Baba Olu Falae. But the rest of Nigeria voted for President Obasanjo. So it is not an issue that only the South-West can solve. It is an issue that we must solve collectively as Nigerians.
Makinde criticised the Federal Government over the reported presentation of the United Nations budget to the President in Nigeria by the country’s permanent representatives to the UN, questioning the need to spend taxpayers’ money on the trip from New York to Abuja.
The governor argued that, “leadership should be assessed by energy, competence, and readiness for national service, not entitlement,” outlining the four pillars of the Reset Agenda, including Education, Economy, Security, and Socio-political Empowerment.
Makinde emphasised that Nigeria’s prosperity depends on skills, knowledge, a secure environment, and a political system where opposition can thrive.
He criticised the Federal Government’s unclear budgeting process and contrasted it with Oyo State’s consistent January–December budget cycle and over 70 per cent budget performance over the past seven years.
He questioned the government’s budget implementation, asking, “Is it 2023, 2024, 2025, or 2026 budgets?”
Speaking further, Makinde said he would focus on energy and stamina rather than age during the campaign.
“While I will not make age an issue of this campaign, I will make energy. Having energy. Being able to stay up late, have the rigours, have the energy to deal with the challenges that we are faced with as a country,” he said.
He challenged other presidential candidates to demonstrate their physical stamina during the campaign as he jumped from the stage.
“So please, when they bring their own presidential candidates, let the candidates come here and also jump down. If they can do that, vote for them,” Makinde said.
The national leader of the party and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, described Makinde as a competent and focused leader who was ready to reset Nigeria.
”We are set to reset. We are going to go about this job with all the seriousness that it deserves. We are not here for a joke. We are focused. We are determined. We are resolute and we must have to accomplish the mission.
”I would like to remind all of us to beware of detractors. Some people, out of desperation, have already started or resorted to trying to infiltrate our ranks to cause some kind of destruction.
“But I say to them, they are late, and I am warning: if they do not desist, we will definitely take measures as allowed by the law to make sure that we shame them. This is not an empty threat.
In goodwill messages, former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola; APM Deputy Director General (Administration), Maryam Ciroma; and retired civil servant, Layi Ogunbambi, praised Makinde’s courage and urged Nigerian youths to support visionary and energetic leaders capable of addressing national challenges.
They also called for the protection of democratic institutions and the country’s multiparty system.
The party’s national chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, criticised the economic policies of the ruling party, saying “they had deepened hardship across the country.”
He expressed confidence in the Makinde/Daura ticket, insisting that the APM can reset the nation and restore economic prosperity if elected in 2027.
Earlier, the South-West Zonal Coordinator of the Makinde–Daura Campaign Organisation, Eddy Olafeso, said responsible governance must serve the people and affirmed that Makinde was prepared to redefine and reset Nigeria.
The event was attended by the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Bayo Lawal; former Deputy Governor, Hamid Gbadamosi; Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin; former Speaker, Monsurat Sunmonu; and other major South-West stakeholders.