Oyo Governor Makinde Declares 2027 Presidential Bid, Offers Tinubu Alternative

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has announced his intention to present a credible alternative to President Bola Tinubu in the forthcoming 2027 presidential election. Makinde asserted that the Yoruba populace, along with all Nigerians, merits a broader range of choices beyond the current head of state. During an exclusive interview with Arise Television on Friday, the governor, who is the presidential flagbearer for the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), articulated his ambition to lead the nation and tackle what he identifies as significant deficiencies in the present administration, especially concerning economic stability, national security, and human capital development through skills acquisition.

Makinde, himself a Yoruba native, dismissed the argument that his ethnic background should hinder him from challenging President Tinubu, who also hails from the South-West region. He remarked, "I think where we are right now is Nigeria is at a crossroads. If the solution will come from a Yoruba President, they must have choices. I’m also a Yoruba person." The Oyo helmsman unequivocally rejected any proposition of running as a vice-presidential candidate, emphasizing his resolve to offer himself directly as a presidential option. "I’m not running as a deputy to somebody, or as a vice to somebody. I am running to tell the people of Nigeria that the inability of the current administration to tackle decisively our economic issues, to tackle decisively the issue of insecurity, to tackle decisively the issue of skills and knowledge for our people, is not a Yoruba agenda," he affirmed.

The governor stressed that his candidacy provides an alternative for both the wider Nigerian electorate and his fellow Yoruba people, expressing his aspiration to govern the country from the centre. He further elaborated, "I, as a Yoruba man, am putting on the table an alternative for the people of Nigeria and the Yoruba people. I’m the one going to the centre to say, ‘Look, at the centre, give me the opportunity to reset Nigeria. Let me be the Yoruba President.’"

Previously, Makinde reportedly rated President Tinubu's performance at 34% and has advocated for the establishment of state police. He also disclosed that President Tinubu did not contact him during a past kidn*pping incident in Oyo State. President Tinubu, representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), is also from the Yoruba ethnic group and originates from Lagos State. His pursuit of a second term renders the 2027 election particularly significant within the South-West geopolitical zone, as Makinde aims to challenge a sitting president from the same region.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released its final list of presidential candidates for the January 16, 2027 election. This list features President Tinubu, Governor Makinde, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Sandy Ojang Onor, among others. The evolving political landscape is set against ongoing debates about zoning and the unofficial rotation of the presidency between Nigeria's northern and southern regions. President Tinubu's assumption of power in 2023 followed two terms served by former President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, and calls for power rotation continue to shape the discourse surrounding the next presidential contest. Makinde's central argument, however, maintains that regional or ethnic identity should not restrict Nigerians' ability to choose among candidates, even when two contenders share the same ethnic background. His campaign, under the APM banner, is built on a promise to "reset the country," while President Tinubu seeks another term under the APC.