Makinde Explains Why He Is Running Against a Sitting President from the South West

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde is contesting the 2027 presidential election as the candidate for the Allied Peoples Movement. He believes the South-West can have more than one presidential candidate without hurting the region's interests.

Makinde spoke on Thursday during a town hall meeting for the party in Akure, the capital of Ondo State. He noted that the South-West had two presidential candidates in the 1999 election.

Critics have asked why he is running when the South-West already has a sitting president. He said, "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 reminded his audience that in 1999, the South-West produced former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae as presidential candidates. He asked, "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?"

Rejecting Deceitful Politics

Makinde urged voters in the South-West to turn away from what he calls deceitful politics. He stated he would focus on his achievements in Oyo State rather than attack his rivals.

He also took a swipe at the Federal Government regarding the UN budget presentation to the President by Nigeria's representatives at the UN. He questioned why taxpayer money was spent on the trip from New York to Abuja.

Makinde doubted the government's budget implementation, asking, "Is it 2023, 2024, 2025, or 2026 budgets?"

Energy Over Age

As the campaign goes on, Makinde said he would focus on energy and stamina, not age. He said, "While I will not make age an issue of this campaign, I will make energy. 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 challenged other presidential candidates to show their physical stamina during the campaign. He said, "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."