EXCLUSIVE: Makinde Rules Out Step-Down, Plans 36-State Campaign
Fresh details have emerged about the 2027 presidential ambition of Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement, APM, candidate, Seyi Makinde, with a source familiar with developments around his political camp telling The Nigeria Standard Magazine that the governor has no intention of stepping down for any of the other leading opposition candidates.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to publicly discuss the campaign’s internal strategy, said Makinde was preparing to take his presidential message across the 36 states of the federation as part of an aggressive nationwide campaign.
According to the source, recent speculation suggesting that Makinde could abandon his presidential ambition to support another opposition candidate does not reflect the governor’s current plans.
“Makinde is not stepping down for anybody. He is going into this election to contest and to win,” the source claimed.
The source further alleged that preparations were already being made for an extensive campaign tour across Nigeria and claimed that six private jets had been lined up to facilitate movements associated with the nationwide campaign.
The Nigeria Standard Magazine has not independently verified the claim concerning the six aircraft, and no documentary evidence establishing their ownership, leasing arrangements, funding or precise role in the campaign was available at the time of filing this report.
However, the broader claim that Makinde intends to remain in the presidential race is consistent with recent public statements from his political camp.
APM National Publicity Secretary Abubakar Yusuf recently declared that Makinde had not stepped down for any candidate, insisting that the Oyo governor was contesting the presidential election to win.
The development comes amid continuing efforts by opposition figures and groups to forge greater cooperation ahead of the 2027 election.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Makinde have emerged among prominent opposition figures facing calls for cooperation or a consensus arrangement capable of mounting a stronger challenge to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Despite those efforts, none of the three leading contenders has publicly indicated a willingness to surrender his presidential ambition to another.
The source who spoke with The Nigeria Standard Magazine also dismissed speculation that joining an opposition coalition was central to Makinde’s immediate political strategy.
According to him, the governor intends to concentrate on selling his own programmes directly to Nigerians and convincing voters that his governance experience in Oyo State can be replicated nationally.
That position could further complicate attempts to produce a single opposition candidate against Tinubu.
Makinde has already moved beyond speculation about his presidential ambition by formally opening his campaign machinery and unveiling what he calls the “Reset Nigeria” agenda.
The programme focuses on key areas including the economy, security, education and governance, with the governor promising policy changes designed to improve living standards and rebuild public confidence in government.
His campaign has also begun promoting a nationwide volunteer structure involving grassroots mobilisation, media engagement, research, logistics and election-related activities.
The source said Nigerians should expect Makinde to unveil additional policy proposals during the campaign, maintaining that the governor believes his programmes can provide an alternative direction for the country.
Makinde has already begun outlining some of those positions.
On the petroleum sector, for instance, he has rejected a return to the old fuel subsidy system while proposing greater transparency in crude production, domestic allocation, refining, distribution, taxation and retail pricing.
He has argued that Nigeria’s crude oil resources should produce measurable economic benefits for Nigerians rather than leave citizens paying prices disconnected from the country’s status as an oil-producing nation.
The emerging strategy suggests that Makinde intends to position the presidential contest around his record in Oyo State and his proposed national policies rather than rely principally on negotiations among opposition political leaders.
A full-scale 36-state campaign would also represent an attempt to confront one of the biggest questions surrounding his candidacy: whether the political strength and recognition he enjoys in Oyo State and parts of the South-West can be transformed into a genuinely national electoral movement.
That test becomes even more important in a presidential contest featuring established political forces with structures across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The reported decision not to step down also raises another major question for the opposition.
If Makinde, Atiku, Obi and other candidates remain on separate tickets until election day, opposition votes could be divided among several contenders, potentially altering the arithmetic of the race against the incumbent.
For Makinde, however, the message emerging from his camp is increasingly clear: negotiations may continue across Nigeria’s political landscape, but his presidential campaign is proceeding on the assumption that he will be on the ballot and fight for the presidency himself.
Whether the reported scale of his nationwide campaign — including the source’s claim about six private jets — materialises should become clearer as campaign activities intensify across the federation.
The Nigeria Standard Magazine will continue efforts to obtain official clarification from the Makinde presidential campaign on the aircraft claim and other details of the planned 36-state tour.
