Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, on Thursday formally joined the presidential race for 2027 under an alliance involving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM).
In Makinde’s declaration speech delivered at a rally held at Mapo Hall, Ibadan, Oyo State, and witnessed by a mammoth crowd, he said:
“Today, I, Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, FNSE, announce my candidacy for the position of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the PDP/APM alliance.
“We have witnessed the continuous meddling in the affairs of opposition parties in our dear country with the aim of taking Nigeria to a one-party system. Without a multiparty system, there is no democracy.
“They calculated and said opposition cannot unite. But I am here today to say it is a miscalculation.
“The opposition in Nigeria is not just the political parties. It is the everyday Nigerian for whom the country does not work.
“This is the time for every one of us to shake off the apathy that is gradually taking root and engage with the political process to ensure that Nigeria works for us.
“It is time to confront our fears. It is time to be engaged citizens and not spectators in our own country.”
With the declaration, Makinde joined former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party, among others, to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
The rally, described by organisers as a “Unity Mega Rally,” turned Ibadan into a political carnival, with supporters of both parties chanting solidarity songs and waving party flags.