Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, has said he is presenting Nigerians with an alternative to President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Makinde said his Yoruba identity should not prevent him from contesting against Tinubu, who also comes from the South-West, arguing that Nigerians should have the freedom to choose between candidates from the same ethnic group.
He made the statement during an interview with Arise Television on Friday, where he expressed his intention to lead the country and address what he described as the current administration’s shortcomings in managing the economy, tackling insecurity and developing the skills and knowledge of Nigerians. The governor rejected the suggestion that he could contest as a running mate to another politician, insisting that he was seeking the presidency in his own right.
He said the challenges facing Nigeria were not issues that should be viewed through an ethnic or regional perspective, adding that his ambition was to offer the country a different approach to governance. Makinde described his candidacy as an opportunity for Nigerians, particularly the Yoruba people, to consider another presidential option from the region. He said he wanted the opportunity to lead from the federal level and reset the country.
President Tinubu, who is seeking re-election under the All Progressives Congress, is also Yoruba and hails from Lagos State. His bid for a second term has made the 2027 election particularly significant for the South-West, with Makinde seeking to challenge a president from the same region. Other presidential contenders listed for the January 16, 2027 election include former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and Peoples Democratic Party candidate Sandy Ojang Onor.
The election is also taking place amid continuing debates over zoning and the informal arrangement of rotating presidential power between Nigeria’s northern and southern regions. Tinubu’s emergence as president in 2023 followed the two terms of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who came from the North. However, Makinde’s position is that regional identity should not prevent Nigerians from choosing between candidates based on their leadership offers. The governor is campaigning on the APM platform with a promise to reset Nigeria, while Tinubu is seeking another term under the APC.
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde says he wants to challenge President Tinubu in the 2027 election rather than serve as another politician’s running mate. He argues that Nigerians, including Yoruba voters, should have an alternative presidential candidate regardless of ethnic or regional identity.
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