By Eshioromeh Sebastian
Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has explained why he is contesting the 2027 presidential election against a sitting President from the South West, insisting that the region can present more than one candidate without harming its collective interest.
Speaking at the APM South West town hall meeting held at the International Culture and Event Centre in Akure, Ondo State, on Thursday, Makinde cited the 1999 presidential contest between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae as proof that the South West does not lose anything when it fields multiple candidates.
“People ask why I am contesting when the South West already has somebody on that seat. I tell them that in 1999, the entire Nigeria ceded the Presidency to the South West, and we had two of our fathers, President Obasanjo and Baba Olu Falae, contesting. Heaven did not fall,” he said.
According to him, what the region did in 1999 was to present two of its finest candidates for Nigerians to choose from, adding that there is nothing wrong with a repeat in 2027. He urged the people of the South West to reject what he described as politics of deceit and “turn by turn” arrangements.
Makinde argued that leadership should be assessed on competence and readiness to serve rather than regional entitlement, stressing that Nigerians should be allowed to pick their preferred candidate.
The governor said the All Progressives Congress administration had not got it right in its three years in office, describing the APM as the only credible alternative capable of rescuing the country.
“APM is the only answer to the problems bedevilling Nigeria. Within the last three years, we haven’t got it right. We have already set to work, and everything is on the ground,” he said.
He promised to reset Nigeria if elected, unveiling the four pillars of his Reset Agenda, namely Education, Economy, Security and Socio political Empowerment, and urged residents to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards ahead of the poll.
“We want a Nigeria that works for everybody, not a Nigeria that works for a very few. Get your PVC, and we will reset Nigeria,” Makinde said.
The governor also took a swipe at the Federal Government over the reported presentation of the United Nations budget to the President in Abuja by the country’s permanent representatives to the UN, questioning the rationale for spending taxpayers’ money on such a trip from New York. He further criticised the FG’s budgeting process, contrasting it with Oyo State’s consistent January to December cycle and over 70 per cent budget performance in the last seven years.
On the campaign trail, Makinde said he would rather make energy and stamina the issue than age. He demonstrated his point by jumping down from the stage and challenged other presidential candidates to do the same.
“When they bring their own presidential candidates, let them come here and also jump down. If they can do that, vote for them,” he said.
Also speaking, national leader of the party and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, described Makinde as a competent and focused leader ready to reset Nigeria.
“We are set to reset. We are going about this job with all the seriousness it deserves. We are not here for a joke. We are determined, resolute, and we must accomplish the mission,” Mohammed said.
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