A member of the House of Representatives, Akin Alabi, has claimed that Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, has no genuine intention of becoming Nigeria’s president in 2027.
Alabi, who represents Egbeda/Ona-Ara Federal Constituency of Oyo State, reportedly made the claim during a radio interview with Flair 103.3FM in Ibadan on Tuesday.
The lawmaker alleged that Makinde’s presidential campaign was primarily aimed at creating visibility for his preferred candidate in the Oyo State governorship election, Bimbo Adekanmbi.
“Everybody knows that Seyi Makinde has no plan to become president; he just wants to be in the conversation because he knows his candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi, can’t contest alone,” Alabi was quoted as saying.
He further argued that Adekanmbi would struggle against the All Progressives Congress candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, without Makinde’s presidential candidacy serving as a political vehicle for the APM campaign.
The claim comes despite a series of steps taken by Makinde since he formally entered the presidential race.
On May 14, 2026, Makinde declared his intention to contest the presidency at a joint PDP/APM rally at Mapo Hall in Ibadan.
“Today, I, Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, announce my candidacy for the position of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said at the rally.
The declaration was followed by Makinde’s emergence as the APM presidential candidate, with the party subsequently confirming his nomination ahead of the 2027 election.
In August, he selected former Director-General of the State Security Service, Lawal Musa Daura, as his running mate, replacing Ibrahim Bala, who had initially been announced as a placeholder.
The Makinde-Daura ticket has since formed the centrepiece of the APM’s presidential campaign, with the party commencing its electioneering activities ahead of 2027.
Makinde has also continued to promote a national policy agenda. In September, he unveiled his “Reset Nigeria Agenda”, focusing on reforms in the economy, education, security and governance.
At a North-Central town hall meeting in Lafia, Nasarawa State, he said four years would be enough to implement his proposed national reset if elected president.
While Alabi questioned the sincerity of Makinde’s presidential ambition, the governor has simultaneously maintained an active political interest in Oyo State’s governorship contest.
Makinde has backed Adekanmbi, a former Commissioner for Finance in Oyo State, as the APM’s governorship candidate and has campaigned for him ahead of the 2027 election.
In September, the governor urged Alli to focus on Adekanmbi rather than his administration, stressing that the APM candidate was the person the APC candidate would face in the governorship contest.
Alli’s campaign organisation has also repeatedly argued that Makinde would not be on the ballot in the Oyo governorship election and should allow the candidates to campaign on their records.
The unfolding contest has therefore placed Makinde at the centre of two parallel political battles: his presidential campaign under the APM and the effort to secure a successor in Oyo State.
Alabi, however, maintains that the presidential ambition is largely intended to strengthen Adekanmbi’s chances in the state governorship race.
