Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, on Thursday, declared interest to contest the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM).
The governor, who disclosed this at a grand mega rally to announce the alliance between the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the APM, also disclosed that a new group named “Reset Nigeria Movement” has been formed to give the country the necessary reset it needed.
The ancient Mapo Hall, venue of the rally, witnessed a massive turnout as thousands of PDP and APM supporters, alongside political stakeholders, gathered to witness the coalition between both parties.
Major roads leading to the venue were heavily congested as supporters dressed in party-branded outfits and carrying banners and flags trooped to the rally ground.
Continuing, Makinde said the APM, as a national party, would field candidates for all available offices during the forthcoming election.
He stated that the alliance with the APM was fallout of the alleged meddling in the affairs of the opposition parties with the aim of turning Nigeria into a one-party state.
He lamented that events in the political circle in the country in the last two years were ones that made it obvious that the foundation of democracy is being broken as the opposition is being pushed to the wall.
The governor, however, noted that the situation in the country called for the unity of the opposition, adding that the opposition parties remained collectively determined to protect the nation’s democracy.
He said: “We have found ourselves at a point in our political history as a nation where the very foundation of democracy is being shaken. We have witnessed the continuous meddling in the affairs of opposition parties in our dear country, with the aim of taking Nigeria to a one party system.
“Without a multi-party system, there is no democracy. So where is our multi-party? The economic and security situations have continued to deteriorate, putting the majority of Nigerians on survival mode. And this is on a daily basis.
“Those charged with the responsibility of making up for the welfare of citizens are treating the authority they hold in trust as personal property that they can wield as they please. This is why for the past several months; one question has been at the top of my mind. Where do we go from here? Is this the way we are to continue as a nation?
“We have been pushed to the wall with the belief that we will turn against ourselves in confusion. Or what’s still that we will become too weary from trying to survive on a daily basis to fight back. They calculated and said opposition cannot unite. But I am here today to say that it is a miscalculation. The opposition in Nigeria is not just political parties; the opposition is the everyday Nigerian for whom the country does not work.
“It is time to engage as citizens and not spectators in our own country. We cannot be bystanders. We must engage, we must participate, and the outcome will be guaranteed. And for the opposition political parties, this is the time to unite, one party at a time. This is what PDP and APM are doing right now. It is the time to work in unity to give our nation the result that it needs.
Today, history is being made; I pronounce today the birth of Reset Nigeria Movement. The time to reset Nigeria is now. And so today, in Ibadan, the first grand alliance is formed. The alliance of PDP and APM, this handshake will allow us field candidates at all levels. We will field candidates from top to bottom. We field candidates from presidency to state assembly and everything in between.
“Therefore today, I, Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde announced my candidacy for position of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The National Chairman of the APM, Yusuf Dantalle; member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Alli Odefa; and the National Secretary of the APM, Oyadeyi Ayodele, lauded Makinde’s developmental strides in Oyo State and described the alliance as a mission to restore the country’s democratic values.
“We are determined to restore the pride of Nigerians and deepen democracy in this country,” Dantalle said.
The party leaders also lamented Nigeria’s declining image and influence across Africa, insisting that the coalition was formed to reposition the country.
A former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, accused the ruling party at the national level of failing to fulfill its promises to Nigerians.
“The failure of the ruling party to meet the expectations of Nigerians is responsible for this alliance. Nigerians deserve better leadership,” Oyinlola stated.
Also speaking, the Oyo State Chairman of the PDP, Dayo Ogungbenro, expressed confidence that the coalition would produce Nigeria’s next president and secure victories for candidates contesting under the alliance.
Earlier in the day, leaders of both parties formally signed and presented a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the PDP South-West Secretariat, Soji Adagunodo House, along Old Ife Road in Ibadan.