The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) Seyi Makinde, on Thursday urged Nigerians to allow him to complete the remaining four years of the South-West in the Presidency.
President Bola Tinubu is about to complete his first tenure as Nigeria’s president.
Tinubu, who hails from Lagos State in the South-West, is seeking re-election in 2027.
However, Makinde said Nigerians will decide if the South-West should complete its eight-year term in 2027.
Speaking during the APM’s town hall meeting in Akure, Ondo State, Makinde said: “The rest of Nigeria will choose between if the South-West should complete its eight years. And if the answer is yes, allow Seyi to complete the remaining four years through a transitional government of national unity.”
The Oyo State Governor also urged APM members to embark on a door-to-door campaign.
Makinde assured that Nigerians will receive them because they are hungry.
He added: “What I want from the South-West, go door-to-door, go to every area, and it’s not an issue that somebody did billboards or they did posters. Take your fliers and go door-to-door, you will be well received because everybody is hungry.
“Nigerians want a reset, so go and meet them, they will receive you, convert them and explain the Reset Agenda to them.”
Meanwhile, Makinde finally responded to questions on why he is contesting against President Bola Tinubu, who, like him, is from the South-West, in the 2027 presidential election.
Makinde said his decision was not about region but about competence, fairness and national unity.
The governor disclosed that he supported Tinubu in 2023 even though he was in a different party because he believed Tinubu would run a government of national unity and competence.
“I supported the current President, even though in another party at that time, because I thought we would do what is right for the country. I thought we would have a government of national unity and a government of national competence,” Makinde said.
According to him, the alliance has failed to deliver unity, fairness and competent governance.
“Is it a government of national competence? Is it a government of national unity? The answer is no,” he said.
He further pointed out that in 2023, he and other aggrieved PDP governors believed power should shift to the South after eight years of former President Muhammadu Buhari in the interest of equity and justice.
He said he expected Tinubu to bring together capable Nigerians from different parts of the country to address the nation’s challenges, noting that those expectations were not met and that the current administration has broken its promises to Nigerians.
According to him, the 2027 election is about rescuing Nigeria and resetting the country, not about where the President comes from.
