By Annette Ikponmwonba | November 13th, 2026
Key Points
· Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, the Allied Peoples Movement presidential candidate, says he is offering Nigerians an alternative to President Tinubu in the 2027 election
· He spoke in an interview on Friday, arguing that the Yoruba people should have a choice beyond the incumbent
· He said his Yoruba identity should not stop him from challenging Tinubu, who is also from the South-West
· He rejected the idea of running as a deputy to another politician
· He faulted the current administration over the economy, insecurity and the development of skills and knowledge
· INEC’s final list for the January 16, 2027 election includes Tinubu, Makinde, Atiku, Obi and PDP candidate Sandy Ojang Onor, among others
Main Story
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has said he is offering Nigerians an alternative to President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, insisting that the Yoruba people should have a choice beyond the incumbent. Makinde, the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, said he is seeking the opportunity to lead Nigeria and address what he described as the current administration’s failures in tackling economic challenges, insecurity and the development of skills and knowledge.
He made the remarks on Friday, arguing that his Yoruba identity should not prevent him from challenging Tinubu, who is also from the South-West. “I think where we are right now is Nigeria is at a crossroads. If the solution will come from a Yoruba President, they must have choices. I’m also a Yoruba person,” he said.
The governor rejected the idea of contesting as a running mate to another politician. “I’m not running as a deputy to somebody, or as a vice to somebody. I am running to tell the people of Nigeria that the inability of the current administration to tackle decisively our economic issues, to tackle decisively the issue of insecurity, to tackle decisively the issue of skills and knowledge for our people, is not a Yoruba agenda,” he said.
The Issues
Makinde’s candidacy puts two Yoruba candidates in the same race, which complicates the usual regional arithmetic in the South-West. His argument is that ethnic identity should not limit voters’ options, and that criticism of the administration should not be read as hostility to the region.
The contest is also unfolding against debates over zoning and the informal rotation of the presidency between North and South. Tinubu’s 2023 win followed two terms of Muhammadu Buhari from the North, and calls for rotation continue to shape discussion. Makinde’s pitch sidesteps that debate by focusing on performance rather than region, His rejection of a deputy role also speaks to talk of opposition consolidation, as he, Atiku and Obi run on separate platforms. His claims about the administration’s failures are campaign positions, and the Presidency’s response was not included in the report.
What’s Being Said
Makinde said he is presenting himself as a choice for both the country and his own region. “I, as a Yoruba man, am putting on the table an alternative for the people of Nigeria and the Yoruba people. I’m the one going to the centre to say, ‘Look, at the centre, give me the opportunity to reset Nigeria. Let me be the Yoruba President,’” he said, He is campaigning on the APM platform with a promise to reset the country, while Tinubu seeks a second term under the APC.
What’s Next
Attention will turn to how South-West voters respond to two Yoruba candidates, and whether Makinde can build support beyond his home region. The APC is likely to respond as campaigns intensify toward the January 16, 2027 election, Talk of opposition consolidation is also likely to continue, though Makinde has made clear he is running in his own right.
Bottom Line
Makinde is framing his bid as a genuine choice for Nigerians and for the Yoruba, arguing that challenging Tinubu is not a betrayal of the region but an offer of a different path at the centre.
