2027: ‘Our votes will count despite attempts to write us off’ – Makinde fires back at critics

The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), Mr Seyi Makinde, has hit back at critics who have dismissed his ambition to contest the 2027 presidential election.

Makinde said those opposing his bid could not ignore the millions of Nigerians whose votes would play a major role in deciding the country’s political future.

He made the remarks in Abuja on Monday while commissioning the APM presidential campaign headquarters, where he also unveiled the party’s “Reset Nigeria” campaign.

The campaign is focused on promoting transparency in government, accountability and ensuring that Nigeria’s resources are used to improve the lives of citizens.

Makinde also clarified his position on petrol pricing, stressing that he was not calling for a return to the old fuel subsidy system. Instead, he said Nigerians should benefit more directly from the crude oil produced in the country.

He argued that the benefit should be built into the price at which crude was supplied to local refineries, rather than through interventions after costs and inefficiencies have accumulated across the petroleum value chain.

“So why should crude oil supplied to Nigerian refineries be priced as though Nigeria does not produce crude oil?” Makinde queried.

He called for transparency across production, domestic crude allocation, refining, transportation, distribution, taxes and retail margins, saying Nigerians should be able to understand how the final pump price is determined.

‘Government must show its workings’

Makinde said the principle extended beyond the petroleum sector to the way government made decisions and manages public resources.

“It means that government must show its workings. It means that Nigerians must know how decisions are made, how public resources are used and who benefits from them,” he said.

The governor said the campaign would reach Nigerians whose daily experiences shaped the impact of government policies, including traders, farmers, workers, business owners and young people.

Makinde recalled that when he first contested the Oyo governorship, many had dismissed his chances of winning.

“They may discount one candidate. But they cannot discount millions of Nigerians united behind a better future,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to make the campaign a broader civic conversation, rather than one restricted to politicians.

“Ask questions. Challenge our ideas. Share your own ideas. Organise within your communities. Become a resetter.

“We count. Our voices count. Our experiences count. Our ideas count. And, together, our votes will count,” Makinde said.

Makinde qualified to contestpresidency, says Peter Obi

In his remarks, the presidential candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Mr. Peter Obi, who attended the commissioning, said Makinde was qualified to contest the presidency adding that Nigerians should be allowed to freely choose their leaders.

“Yes, Seyi Makinde is qualified to contest for President. What we are doing today is to show you that, for us, we don’t have desperation. We want the people of Nigeria to make their choice. Whoever they choose, all of us will come together to build a new Nigeria,” Obi said.

He added that political competition should centre on solving the problems confronting Nigerians, rather than deepening divisions.

“Let our quarrel be to feed our people. Let our quarrel be to pull our people out of poverty. We want a Nigeria where a child of nobody can be somebody without knowing anybody,” he said.

APM vice-presidential candidate, Lawal Daura, on the occasion, urged Nigerians to distinguish between candidates legally qualified to contest and those capable of winning an election.

“There are candidates that may be eligible, but they are not electable. I want Nigerians to be able to distinguish that,” Daura said.

He also urged opposition parties to campaign on issues rather than attack one another, saying their cooperation should be directed at producing what he described as a “qualitative opposition”.

He said: “We are all together. We want to provide a very qualitative opposition. And that qualitative opposition is supposed to be beneficial to all Nigerians.’’

APM National Leader and Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, said the commissioning of the headquarters demonstrated the party’s seriousness about the 2027 election.

“Whoever disregards us is doing it at his own peril,” Mohammed warned.

He praised Makinde’s record in Oyo State, as well as his experience in the private sector and oil and gas industry, saying these qualities positioned him to reset the country.

Mohammed also stressed the need for party loyalty, supremacy of the party and harmony among its members, urging Nigerians to put the country first.

APM National Chairman, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, described the commissioning as the beginning of the party’s campaign to ‘Reset Nigeria’, saying the headquarters would serve as its campaign base for the 2027 election.

He said the crowd at the event reflected what he described as Nigerians’ yearning for competence, courage, compassion and accountability, while presenting the APM ticket as a viable alternative.

Dantalle said the campaign would focus on solutions rather than political bitterness, adding that Makinde’s record in Oyo State and Daura’s security background offered complementary strengths for the presidency.

“On a rescue mission, there is no time for frivolities. Citizens are tired and weary of politics of bitterness, division and hatred that impedes the nation’s democracy,” Dantalle said.

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