Opposition can still unite behind single candidate for 2027 – APM chieftain

A chieftain of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Oluwaseun Adeloro, says the opposition parties still have time to unite behind a single candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Mr Adeloro, a lawyer, said the opposition should not abandon the possibility of a coalition despite the separate presidential ambitions of major opposition figures.

He made the remarks on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Wednesday.

“I see the 2027 general election not as a sprint. I see it as a marathon race,” he said.

“We still have October; we still have November. They can still come together, if indeed they are sincere about rescuing Nigeria.”

The comments come amid efforts by opposition politicians to build a coalition ahead of the 2027 election, although major contenders have continued to pursue separate political platforms.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently released the final list of presidential candidates, with 21 challenging President Tinubu of the APC.

Among them are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, the APM candidate.

Mr Adeloro said he supports Mr Makinde as a possible consensus candidate for the opposition but acknowledged that other contenders may be unwilling to withdraw.

“Mr Obi will not agree to that, and Abubakar will not agree to that,” he said.

“But why not? What happened before Jonathan was removed? Some group of people sacrificed, and that is history now. If they are serious about removing Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in 2027, being divided is not the way.”

Makinde’s ‘reset’ agenda

Mr Adeloro also defended Mr Makinde’s promise to “reset” Nigeria within four years if elected president.

Asked whether such an ambitious undertaking was realistic within a single four-year term, he said it was achievable.

“It is possible in four years,” he said.

“Nigeria is like we are standing on a cliff; any slight tilt can be fatal, and that is the truth.”

Mr Makinde has presented his presidential campaign around a “Reset Nigeria” agenda, which includes proposals on security, education and economic management.

Mr Adeloro also criticised how Nigeria manages and distributes its oil revenues, arguing that the country has failed to maintain sufficient savings for future needs.

“We’ve once had a president that saved money, sovereign wealth; we’ve had the Petroleum Trust Fund specially for it, but everything is being shared now, and you cannot control it,” he said.

“Nothing is working in Nigeria. You have to be on the streets to know it.”

Why Makinde turned against Tinubu

The APM chieftain was also asked why Mr Makinde, who was part of the G5 governors that opposed Atiku’s presidential bid in 2023 and helped create conditions favourable for Mr Tinubu’s emergence, is now campaigning against the president.

Mr Adeloro said the political circumstances had changed since 2023.

“You don’t stay in the house and know the people that will die in war.

“As at the time the G5 came on board, Tinubu was a candidate. Now he’s the president. It’s a different ball game. You campaign in poems, and you govern in prose,” he said

During the interview, Mr Adeloro also commented on Mr Tinubu’s capacity compared with his time as governor of Lagos State. Those comments were his own assertions and were not supported by evidence presented during the interview.

APM insists Makinde will remain in race

Mr Adeloro said the APM intends to build on Mr Makinde’s previous electoral success in Oyo State as it seeks to expand his support nationally.

“We’ve done it before, when he was underrated. Somebody who had never even been a councillor, and he became governor,” he said.

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“It can happen again. We will replicate it.”

Asked whether Mr Makinde would withdraw from the presidential race if the wider opposition failed to adopt him as its consensus candidate, Mr Adeloro said he did not expect him to step aside.

“No,” he said. “He doesn’t look like somebody that will step down for anybody.”

Mr Makinde was formally unveiled as the APM’s presidential candidate in May 2026 at a ceremony in Ibadan after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

His campaign has focused on a proposed “Reset Nigeria” programme, including reforms to security, education and the economy, as well as greater devolution of powers to state governments.

The APM, established in 2018, currently holds two governorship seats in the country – Oyo and Bauchi.