The Allied People’s Movement (APM) has thrown its support behind Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde as a possible consensus presidential candidate for opposition parties seeking to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.
The party’s position comes ahead of an August 31 meeting of the G-100, a political pressure group campaigning for a single opposition candidate against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
APM National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, called on other opposition presidential hopefuls to put aside their individual ambitions and rally behind Makinde. He argued that the Oyo governor has the strongest prospects of defeating Tinubu at the polls.
Yusuf said consultations among opposition parties were advancing, although he acknowledged that reaching an agreement would be difficult because of competing interests. The camps of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have so far shown no clear indication that they are ready to abandon their own presidential ambitions.
The APM spokesman said the party was responding to what it described as growing demand for opposition parties to unite. He argued that Makinde’s record in Oyo State, his perceived appeal among young people and professionals, and his approach to economic and infrastructure issues make him a strong candidate for a wider opposition alliance.
Regional politics could also influence the negotiations. Yusuf pointed to arguments within some political circles that the South should produce Tinubu’s successor in 2027 before power potentially returns to the North.
He nevertheless maintained that the party’s endorsement of Makinde was not based solely on regional considerations. Yusuf said opposition stakeholders should focus on finding a candidate capable of building a broad coalition and mounting a serious challenge to the APC.
The push for a single opposition candidate is becoming a major issue ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Whether parties and prominent contenders can overcome their individual ambitions to form a united platform remains one of the biggest questions facing the opposition.
