‘We May Be Rivals or Collaborators’ — Makinde opens door to alliance with Atiku, Obi

Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, has expressed willingness to collaborate with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Makinde said he had held discussions with both opposition politicians, noting that their political paths could either converge or lead to a contest against one another, depending on the outcome of ongoing engagements and developments before the election.

The governor made the remarks in an interview with Arise Television, aired on Friday.

“I’ve had engagement with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. I’ve had engagement with H.E. Peter Obi,” he said.

“And I said, look, this is our country. And I still believe that even with this little time before the election proper, we’re not stopping. We’re still discussing.”

According to Makinde, the discussions could produce different political arrangements, including an alliance in which one politician could support the presidential ambition of another.

“Depending on what we see between now and the election time, we may be rivals; we may be collaborators. One may be the client of the other,” he said.

Asked whether he would consider working with other opposition figures, Makinde said he was open to an alliance if it would help reset the country.

“To reset Nigeria, yes,” he responded.

The governor, however, said any decision on whom to collaborate with would be based on relevant information and public sentiment rather than emotions.

Asked whether he would prefer to work with Atiku or Obi, he said: “To arrive at a decision, you need data. We just won’t take an emotional decision and say, ‘oh, it’s you’.”

He added that public opinion and other relevant considerations would inform the approach he eventually adopts.

Makinde also described Obi as qualified to become Nigeria’s president, agreeing when asked whether he shared the former Anambra governor’s assessment of his presidential credentials.

The Oyo governor further declared his willingness to work with Nigerians across political divides, including members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“I’m willing to work with any Nigerian, even if you’re in the APC,” he said.

However, when specifically asked about a possible collaboration with President Bola Tinubu, Makinde suggested that his previous experience with the president could make such an arrangement difficult.

He alleged that Tinubu had failed to honour an agreement previously signed between them, adding that he had not encountered a similar situation in his engagements with Atiku and Obi.

“Well, he is… but I’ve had a certain experience with him, where agreement was signed and he didn’t keep to it. I’ve not had that issue with maybe former VP Atiku Abubakar or H.E. Peter Obi,” Makinde said.

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