Oyo State Governor and presidential hopeful of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has inaugurated his campaign office in Abuja, declaring that a united opposition would defeat the ruling party in the 2027 general elections.
Makinde promised he would provide a platform for Nigerians to engage in conversations about the future of the country, what needed to change and how to build a better Nigeria.
The candidate touched on the raging debate over fuel subsidy, saying that the issue was not whether it should be removed or retained, but that Nigeria’s oil resources should be affordable to Nigerians.
‘Fuel subsidy removal or no removal, that is not my concern… Nigeria’s oil must provide a real and affordable price for Nigerians,’ Makinde said.
He also called for complete transparency across the country’s petroleum value chain, saying Nigerians deserved to know how the sector was being managed and how its resources were being utilised.
Makinde expressed confidence that opposition forces could defeat the ruling party if they worked together.
‘If we all come together, we could defeat them,’ he said, dismissing suggestions that his campaign would not make an impact.
‘Some people said that this campaign will not count. I don’t care. They said much so when I joined the governorship race,’ he added.
According to him, the voices, experiences and votes of Nigerians would be crucial to determining the outcome of the 2027 election.
‘Our voices count, our experience counts and together our votes shall count,’ the governor said.
Makinde invited Nigerians to support his campaign, saying the office would remain open to citizens who wished to contribute to the proposed national reset.
‘The doors of my campaign office are open to Nigerians to join the Reset Nigeria conversation. Ask questions, challenge our ideas, set your own ideas,’ he said.
He further argued that attempts to undermine individual opposition figures would not stop Nigerians from seeking political change.
‘They may discount Peter Obi or myself, but they can’t discount millions of Nigerians united for a new country,’ Makinde added.
The governor also pledged accountability in the management of public resources, assuring Nigerians that his administration would ensure that the country’s resources were deployed for the benefit of the people.
‘We are going to be accountable to use the resources for the good of the country,’ he said.