Makinde gives reasons for challenging Tinubu in 2027

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has explained why he withdrew his support for President Bola Tinubu and decided to challenging in the 2027 presidential election.

The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate cited what he described as the Tinubu administration’s failures in economic development, governance, national unity and the protection of Nigerians from the effects of economic reforms.

Mr Makinde, who will be completing his second and final term as governor in May 2027, said his decision to contest against Mr Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate for the upcoming poll, was not driven by a personal disagreement or an ambition to occupy the presidential seat, but by his loss of confidence in the direction of the federal government.

In a newsletter published on Thursday on his official website, the governor said he supported Mr Tinubu in the 2023 election because he believed the president would build a government of national unity and competence capable of addressing Nigeria’s economic challenges and improving citizens’ living conditions.

“Three years later, I no longer believe his administration is taking us in that direction,” he stated.

Mr Makinde identified four major concerns: economic stabilisation without corresponding development, what he described as the government’s reliance on excuses, the use of political alliances to consolidate power rather than promote national unity, and the implementation of economic reforms without adequate protection for citizens.

On the economy, the governor acknowledged improvements in some macroeconomic indicators under Mr Tinubu but argued that such gains had not translated sufficiently into productive businesses, employment, better incomes and improved living conditions.

“Government revenues and external reserves mean little to ordinary Nigerians if those gains do not translate into productive businesses, jobs, better incomes and improved living conditions,” he said.

He also faulted the administration for what he described as its continued reliance on inherited challenges to explain poor outcomes, arguing that Nigerians should be seeing measurable progress in tackling poverty, insecurity and electricity problems.

“Every government inherits problems, but it is elected to solve them,” Mr Makinde said.

The governor further criticised the Tinubu administration for prioritising political objectives over the national interest through its alliances, while expressing concern about what he described as the weakening of opposition parties, which he said were essential to a functioning democracy.

He said he had initially expected Mr Tinubu’s political experience and ability to build alliances across political divides to translate into an inclusive government that would bring capable Nigerians together around a shared national interest.

On economic reforms, Mr Makinde said he supported the need to reform the petrol subsidy and foreign exchange systems but believed the government failed to adequately prepare for the consequences of its decisions.

“I expected those reforms to be implemented with adequate preparation for their consequences. Instead, millions of Nigerians who were already struggling were exposed to further hardship before sufficient measures were in place to protect them,” he stated.

What Makinde says he would have done differently

Using petrol subsidy removal as an example, Mr Makinde said he would have used the presidential transition period to prepare for the policy and its likely effects on Nigerians.

He argued that Mr Tinubu should have anticipated the hardship associated with subsidy removal, recalling that the president opposed the abrupt removal of the subsidy when former President Goodluck Jonathan attempted to end the policy in 2012.

He also pointed to the petrol and naira scarcity crises before the 2023 election, saying Mr Tinubu had witnessed the difficulties Nigerians faced at the time.

He stated that, upon assuming office, he would have convened the National Economic Council to agree on a coordinated response with state governors, identify interventions to protect Nigerians and determine how they would be funded.

He said the federal, state and local governments would also have agreed on how to deliver the interventions, with transparent reporting to show how much was spent, who benefited and what results were achieved.

Mr Makinde maintained that economic decisions should not be judged only by their financial or macroeconomic objectives but also by how they affect the people the government is elected to serve.

“Nigerians deserved better preparation and better protection,” he said.

Makinde pledges one-term presidency

Explaining his decision to seek the presidency, Mr Makinde said his background and experience had shaped his belief that the government should create opportunities for Nigerians to improve their lives.

He recalled growing up in a lower-middle-class family, attending Bishop Phillips Academy in Ibadan and studying Electrical Engineering at the University of Lagos before establishing an engineering business at the age of 29.

He said access to education, useful skills and opportunities enabled him to build a career and expand his business beyond Nigeria, adding that he was concerned that many young Nigerians could no longer reasonably expect similar opportunities.

Mr Makinde said his experience in philanthropy eventually convinced him that helping individuals through personal donations was insufficient to address the scale of the country’s challenges, prompting his entry into politics.

After unsuccessful attempts to win public office between 2007 and 2015, including two attempts to secure a Senate seat and one governorship bid, before he was elected governor of Oyo State in 2019.

He said his experience governing the state had strengthened his belief that public institutions could make a difference when they focused on creating opportunities, building institutions and following through on decisions.

The governor, who declared his intention to contest the presidency on 14 May 2026, said he could not wait until 2031 or 2035 to seek national office because he was concerned that another four years of what he described as the current trajectory could further damage the economy, national institutions and opportunities available to younger Nigerians.

Mr Makinde said his proposed alternative is contained in the Reset Nigeria Agenda, which he described as a plan setting out the changes his administration would pursue, how they would be implemented and the measurable results Nigerians should expect.

He also pledged to serve only one four-year term. “I have committed to serving one four-year term as President, leading a transitional government of national unity focused on measurable progress.”

The 2027 presidential election is scheduled for 16 January, when Mr Makinde will challenge Mr Tinubu and other candidates for the country’s highest political office.