Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, Seyi Makinde, has picked former Director-General of the Department of State Services, Lawal Musa Daura, as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
Makinde announced Daura’s selection on Thursday at the APM national convention held at Rilwanu Adamu Square, Government House, Bauchi.
Daura replaces Ibrahim Adamu Bala, who had earlier been announced as Makinde’s running mate but was subsequently described as a placeholder.
Makinde said Daura was deliberately chosen because of the need to address Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
Daura headed the DSS from 2015 to 2018 before his appointment was terminated by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo following the controversial takeover of the National Assembly complex by security operatives.
The former intelligence chief’s selection gives Makinde’s presidential ticket a strong security component as the governor seeks to position himself as a major opposition contender ahead of the 2027 election.
At the convention, Makinde also appealed to opposition parties to work together to provide Nigerians with a credible alternative to the governing political establishment.
He said the task ahead of opposition politicians was bigger than simply winning power.
“As we approach 2027, therefore, I believe the task before all of us is bigger than winning an election. It is to give Nigerians a real choice about the future of their country,” Makinde said.
The governor argued that the next election should be judged by what changes in Nigerians’ lives rather than the number of policies and government announcements.
He said economic policies should be measured by what ordinary Nigerians could afford in the market, while employment policies should be judged by whether young people could secure productive work and build independent lives.
On agriculture, Makinde said farmers should assess government policies through productivity, access to markets and improved earnings.
He also made security a central part of his argument, saying Nigerians should be able to travel, farm, work and sleep without fear.
“The question before Nigeria in 2027 should not simply be: What has government done? It should be: What has changed for Nigerians?” he said.
Makinde called for restructuring of the Nigerian federation to transfer more powers, decisions and resources to states and local governments.
He argued that Nigeria could not reach its potential when decisions that should be made closer to the people had to wait for Abuja.
The governor also called for a new political culture in which disagreements did not turn political opponents into enemies and opposition parties focused on presenting better alternatives rather than merely removing incumbents.
At the convention, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed was inaugurated as national leader of the APM, while Yusuf Dantalle was re-elected as national chairman.
Mohammed expressed confidence in the Makinde-Daura ticket, describing Makinde as the best presidential candidate for Nigeria.
He said the APM would seek to build an inclusive government that accommodates Nigerians across different backgrounds.
Dantalle, after his re-election, said Nigeria had all the resources needed to prosper but had been held back by leadership challenges.
He urged Nigerians across the six geopolitical zones, ethnic groups and religious communities to support the APM’s ambition.
The APM chairman said the party would take its message of hope, unity, development and democratic renewal to communities across the country.
The Makinde-Daura ticket replaces the earlier Makinde-Bala pairing announced in July and represents a fresh positioning of the APM ahead of the 2027 presidential contest.
Makinde ended his address by challenging politicians seeking Nigerians’ votes to subject their records and proposals to public scrutiny.
“Let the coming campaign be a contest of ideas. Let us debate the evidence. Let us compare records. Let us present measurable plans,” he said.
With the APM now formally presenting the Makinde-Daura ticket, the party is seeking to expand its reach by combining Makinde’s political base in the South-West with Daura’s security background and northern roots, while courting cooperation from other opposition parties.
