Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, has defended his decision to contest the 2027 presidential election, insisting that the South-West can produce more than one presidential candidate without compromising the region’s interests.
Makinde spoke on Thursday at the party’s South-West town hall meeting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, where he recalled that the region presented two presidential contenders during the 1999 election.
The governor said some critics had questioned his decision to join the race because the South-West already had a sitting President.
“I’ve listened to people. They said to us, ‘Seyi Makinde, 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,” he said.
Makinde cited the 1999 presidential election, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae contested for the presidency, arguing that the region’s decision to present two candidates did not undermine its interests.
“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 for Nigeria to choose from. Is there anything wrong with that this time around?” he asked.
The governor also urged voters in the region to reject what he described as the politics of deceit, saying he preferred to campaign on his record in Oyo State rather than focus solely on criticising opponents.
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.
He questioned the need to spend taxpayers’ money on a trip from New York to Abuja and also challenged the government’s budget implementation.
“Is it 2023, 2024, 2025, or 2026 budgets?” he asked.
Speaking about the demands of the presidential campaign, Makinde said he would focus on energy and stamina rather than making age an issue.
“While I will not make age an issue of this campaign, I will make energy.
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“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 also challenged other presidential candidates to demonstrate their physical stamina during the campaign, suggesting that voters should assess their ability to meet the demands of leadership.
“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.
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