Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has revealed that Nigeria’s opposition leaders are in active talks to form a united front against President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Makinde, who is seeking the presidency under the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), said the discussions involve former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi.
He made the disclosure during an interview with Arise News on Friday, where he spoke extensively about his political plans, his relationship with Tinubu, and the shape of the emerging opposition coalition.
“Not only that I’m open, we’re actively discussing this,” Makinde said when asked whether he was open to an alliance with other leading opposition figures.
The governor, however, clarified that any arrangement would be guided by verifiable data rather than emotion.
“To arrive at a decision, you need data,” he said. “We just won’t say, ‘Oh, okay,’ take emotional decision and say, ‘Oh, it’s you.’ We have manifestos now, we have certain things in that manifesto. We will sit down, we have maybe historical performance. We also have the sentiment of the people. All of those things will come together and arrive at a decision.”
Makinde said political rivals could become partners when their interests and capabilities aligned.
“Depending on what we see between now and the election time, we may be rivals, we may be collaborators, we may be — one may be the client of the other,” he said.
Asked whether he was prepared for such an arrangement in pursuit of his campaign to “reset Nigeria,” Makinde replied: “To reset Nigeria, yes.”
Makinde Rejects Atiku Running Mate Offer
The governor also disclosed that Atiku’s team approached him to serve as the former vice president’s running mate in the 2027 election, but he turned down the offer.
“Atiku’s people approached me to run with him as running mate. If ambition was to drive me, that was actually the surest path,” Makinde said.
He explained that he advised them to consider another person, insisting that he wanted to contest the presidency in his own right.
“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 said.
Makinde said he was offering Nigerians and the Yoruba people an alternative to the incumbent.
“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,” he said.
“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.'”
Governor Accuses Tinubu of Betraying Power-Sharing Agreement
In a striking allegation, Makinde accused President Tinubu of reneging on a signed agreement to establish a government of national unity after winning the 2023 election.
He said the understanding formed the basis of his controversial decision to support the APC presidential candidate in 2023, adding that he still has a documented copy of the agreement.
“I still have the agreement with us. I’ve had a certain experience with him, you know, where agreement was signed. And he didn’t keep to it,” Makinde said.
The governor insisted the agreement was designed to accommodate different political parties.
“Tell us if the agreement was fulfilled. That’s wrong. Tell us if, not in terms of something personal, what has Nigeria got out of this? Are we having a government of national unity right now?” he asked.
Makinde, however, said he holds no personal grievance against the President, noting that he has not experienced such betrayals with Atiku or Obi.
“I’ve not had that issue with him before, with Atiku Abubakar, or H.E. Peter Obi,” he stated.
He also rejected suggestions that his support for Tinubu in 2023 was motivated by their shared Yoruba ethnic background, arguing that the decision was based on the proposed unity government.
President Silent During Oyo Schoolchildren Abduction, Makinde Says
Makinde further revealed that President Tinubu never contacted him throughout the 56 days that schoolchildren and their teachers were held in captivity in Oyo State.
“I tried to see the President when our students and our children and their teachers were kidnapped, because I thought if any part of Nigeria is going through such a challenge, the President should be interested. Actually, I expected the President to call me,” he said.
When asked whether Tinubu eventually reached out, the governor replied: “He did not. No. Till tomorrow.”
The abduction, which drew national outrage, saw the children and their teachers held for nearly two months before their release.
Wike Alliance Possible, Tinubu Alliance Ruled Out
Makinde said he is willing to work with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, ahead of the 2027 elections, but ruled out any alliance with President Tinubu.
He described his disagreement with Wike as a breach of trust, saying the FCT minister took a decision he was uncomfortable with.
“His case is different from the president’s. He took a decision that I was not comfortable with,” Makinde said.
Makinde and Wike were both members of the G-5 governors, a group of five Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors who opposed Atiku’s presidential bid ahead of the 2023 elections. The two politicians fell out after the election.
APC Accused of Forcing Defections Through Blackmail
The governor also accused the ruling APC of pressuring elected officials to join the party, alleging that some governors were forced to defect through blackmail.
“Look at what we’ve seen. You have the governors come to APC. If you don’t, you’ll be blackmailed,” he said.
Makinde rated President Tinubu’s administration at 34%, arguing that the government had failed to win the support of most Nigerians.
“It’s just about the same percentage as the people that supported him in 2023, 34 per cent. You need the 66 per cent of Nigerians that were against him in 2023 to be on board. This is a national project,” he said.
Asked whether he would concede defeat if the 2027 election was free, fair and credible, Makinde said: “There are a few things that must happen. If the process is free, fair, and credible, yes, I will.”
He added that his political future would depend on how Nigerians receive his agenda.
“I may evaluate my political future depending on how Nigerians, you know, see this agenda,” he said.
