2027: APM Presidential Candidate Makinde Picks Ex-DSS DG Daura As Running Mate

As the 2027 general elections approach, the APM presidential candidate, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, has called on opposition parties to work together to present Nigerians with a credible alternative.

Makinde made the call while congratulating the newly elected national officers of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), saying the party had, within a short period, emerged as an opposition force to reckon with.

He urged the new leadership to collaborate with other opposition parties, stressing that a strong and credible opposition was essential to the survival of democracy.

“As I said during the Ibadan Declaration in April this year, the presence of credible opposition is what sustains democracy.

“So, our new leaders must be ready to work with other opposition parties to ensure that we give Nigerians a credible alternative in the 2027 general election,” he said.

Makinde said the 2027 election should be about more than winning political power, urging politicians to focus on delivering measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.

“As we approach 2027, therefore, I believe the task before all of us is bigger than winning an election. It is to give Nigerians a real choice about the future of their country,” he said.

According to him, the coming campaign season would be dominated by political slogans, promises and declarations, but Nigerians should demand tangible results from those seeking their votes.

“The 2027 election must be an election about outcomes. For too long, we have measured governance by announcements. We are presented with policy after policy, rather than evidence of whether those policies have made people’s lives better,” Makinde said.

He explained that economic policies should be measured by their impact on ordinary Nigerians, particularly their purchasing power.

“When our mothers go to the market, they don’t experience economic policy as a statistic. They experience it in what their money can buy. How much rice, beans and gari they can take home,” he said.

Makinde added that young Nigerians would assess employment policies based on their ability to secure productive jobs and build independent lives, while farmers would judge agricultural policies by increased productivity, access to markets and improved livelihoods.

On security, the governor said government performance should not be measured by the number of meetings held by security officials but by whether Nigerians could live, work and travel without fear.

“Families do not judge security by the number of meetings government has held. They judge it by whether they can travel, farm, work and sleep with their two eyes closed,” he said.

Makinde said the central question ahead of the 2027 election should therefore be what had actually changed in the lives of Nigerians, rather than what governments claimed to have achieved.

“The question before Nigeria in 2027 should not simply be: What has government done? It should be: What has changed for Nigerians?” he said.

He also challenged opposition candidates to subject themselves to scrutiny by clearly explaining what they would do differently and the measurable improvements Nigerians should expect if elected.

According to Makinde, his administration in Oyo State had adopted the same approach by focusing not only on projects announced by government but also on their impact on the people.

He identified poverty reduction, job creation, education, healthcare and security as key issues that should shape the political conversation ahead of the 2027 general elections.