2027: Makinde rejects ‘turn-by-turn’ presidency, vows APM victory

By Luminous Jannamike ABUJA — The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has vowed to win the 2027 election, urging Nigerians to reject what he described as ‘turn-by-turn nepotism’ in choosing the country’s president. Makinde spoke at the party’s South-West town hall meeting, where he argued that the region should not be expected to support President Bola Tinubu solely because he hails from the area.

Citing the 1999 presidential election, he said the South-West had presented Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae as competing candidates, allowing Nigerians to choose their preferred leader. “As a matter of fact, what the South-West did was to present two of its finest candidates, two of its best, for Nigerians to choose from. Is there anything wrong with doing that this time around?” he asked.

Makinde warned that treating the presidency as a regional entitlement could encourage sectional policies at the expense of national development. “We do not want turn-by-turn nepotism. We also do not want a situation where someone says, ‘I will execute projects in my zone because it is my turn,’” he said. The Oyo governor also accused the Federal Government of frustrating opposition parties, warning that democracy could not thrive under a political system that stifled competition.

“There is no democracy in a one-party system,” he declared. On the economy, Makinde advocated a shift from dependence on federal allocations to productive economic activities that would create wealth and expand government revenue. “When they are productive, they become prosperous. When they become prosperous, tax their prosperity. Do not tax poverty,” he said.

APM National Leader and Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, described Makinde as a tested politician whose record in Oyo State informed the party’s decision to present him as its presidential candidate. “He understands Nigeria’s problems, particularly in infrastructure and public services. He has demonstrated his capacity to deliver by reducing infrastructure gaps at the sub-national level,” Mohammed said.

The party’s vice-presidential candidate, Lawal Daura, described the South-West meeting as encouraging, claiming the turnout indicated growing support for Makinde. National Chairman Yusuf Dantalle criticised insecurity, rising petroleum prices and what he described as the erosion of electoral accountability. “We must reset Nigeria. This is not democracy.

It is no longer the votes of the people that determine who wins,” Dantalle said.