…Oyo Governor secures consensus ticket for 2027 presidential race …Our destiny is at stake, we must reset toward equity, dignity — Dantalle

THE Allied Peoples Movement (APM) on Saturday set the stage for a major political showdown ahead of the 2027 general elections, describing the Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, as a “seasoned political warrior” uniquely equipped to rescue Nigeria from its current trajectory of national decline.

The party made this bold declaration at the Emeritus Professor Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall, University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, where Governor Makinde officially emerged as the consensus presidential candidate of the APM following the successful conclusion of the party’s presidential nomination process.

The atmosphere inside the historic hall was electric as the National Chairman of the APM, Alhaji Yusuf Dantalle, alongside all 36 state chairmen of the party, openly put the question of Makinde’s adoption to the floor. The request was instantly met with a thunderous, unanimous voice vote from the assembled delegates, culminating in the formal presentation of the party’s presidential flag and Certificate of Return to the governor.

Speaking shortly after the presentation, Dantalle framed Makinde’s emergence as the birth of the “Reset Nigerian Movement.” According to him, the ticket symbolizes a powerful new alliance between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the APM, powered by a shared vision among Nigerians seeking a more inclusive, equitable, and prosperous nation.

Dantalle stated that Nigeria’s destiny is currently hanging in the balance, making it imperative to reset the country toward fairness and dignity. He noted that Makinde’s seven-year stewardship at the helm of Oyo State has clearly demonstrated the governor’s unyielding resolve to improve the lives of ordinary citizens, making him the ideal candidate to lead the national charge.

“By this affirmation, you stand elected as the candidate of the APM in the 2027 presidential election,” Dantalle announced to the roaring crowd. “Makinde is a political warrior who has won many political battles. With this emergence, the long-expected journey to the presidency has just begun.”

The high-profile event attracted an array of political heavyweights and stakeholders from across the federation. Among the dignitaries who gathered to rally support for the new alliance were the APM governorship candidate in Oyo State, Mr. Bimbo Adekanmbi; the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Right Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin; and the federal lawmaker representing Ibadan North-East/South-East Federal Constituency, Honourable Abass Adigun Agboworin. The event also witnessed the presence of various APM state governorship candidates and members of the National Working Committee, led by the National Secretary and National Organising Secretary, Bashir Bala.

In his remarks, Bimbo Adekanmbi revealed that party stakeholders across the country had carefully resolved to throw their weight behind Makinde’s political trajectory well beyond the borders of Oyo State, maintaining that the governor is destined for higher national service come 2027. This stance was strongly backed by the visiting state chairmen, who pledged their regional political structures to the movement.

While Governor Makinde, who is currently serving the latter half of his second term, is yet to make a personal, formal declaration regarding his 2027 ambitions, political analysts believe that this consensus breakthrough and the unfolding PDP-APM alliance will fundamentally alter the nation’s political calculus as the race to Aso Rock intensifies.