A chieftain of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Oluwaseun Adelore, has declared that the party has a strategy to defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Adelore said the strategy could be strengthened if other opposition parties united behind the APM presidential candidate and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde.
Speaking on The Morning Show, an Arise TV programme, on Wednesday, the APM chieftain described Makinde as a “sellable brand,” insisting that the governor had demonstrated the leadership qualities required to lead Nigeria.
He urged opposition parties to put aside their differences and support Makinde if they were genuinely committed to addressing the challenges confronting the country.
“I see the 2027 general election not as a sprint. I see it as a marathon race. October will start tomorrow. We still have October; we have November. They (opposition parties) can still come together and make headway,” Adelore said.
He said opposition parties could make progress by presenting a common candidate capable of persuading Nigerians to support an alternative to the present administration.
“If indeed they are sincere about rescuing Nigeria from this pit of despair, poverty, wailing, mortality on the high rise, reeling out figures without any meaningful values, without any meaningful achievements, I think it’s the way to go,” he said.
Adelore added, “If they can come together truly and put somebody like Seyi Makinde forward, we are good to go.”
He argued that Makinde had previously defied doubts about his political credentials when he emerged as governor of Oyo State despite criticisms that he lacked the experience required for the position.
“As at the time we were with him in 2017, people were talking about him as somebody that has not been a councillor. How can he be a governor? You are wasting your time. But what we saw in him at that time, he lived up to those expectations,” Adelore said.
According to him, Makinde had since demonstrated passion for the people of Oyo State and a willingness to take difficult decisions in the interest of good governance.
“He has proven over time that he’s going to be a very passionate leader. He’s extremely passionate about people’s lives around him. The people he’s governing in the state know he’s very passionate,” he said.
“He does not even care to step on the toes of those who are close to him to do the right thing. That’s the kind of leader Nigeria deserves at this defining moment.”
Adelore maintained that Makinde’s previous political trajectory could be replicated at the national level, saying the APM had “done it before” and had a strategy for the 2027 contest.
“We have the strategy. We have done it before. When he was looked down upon, when he was underrated, that’s somebody that’s never been a councillor. And he became a governor in their lifetime. It can happen again; it will be replicated,” he said.
He also defended the possibility of Makinde transforming Nigeria within four years, describing his emergence as a step towards addressing the country’s challenges.
“A journey of a thousand years starts with a step, and a very good step in the right direction for that matter,” Adelore said.
The APM chieftain further criticised the Federal Government over its borrowing plans, accusing the Tinubu administration of lacking a clear strategy for repaying the country’s growing debt.
The party has also called on the World Bank and other international lenders to stop extending fresh loans to Nigeria, particularly following reports of discussions between the Federal Government and the World Bank over three proposed financing facilities totalling $1.5 billion.
Politics Nigeria reports that the APM said the proposed facilities comprised three $500 million loans targeting climate resilience, social protection and early childhood development.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, the party accused Tinubu of further burdening Nigerians through additional borrowing.
“The APM condemns the attempt by President Tinubu to further mortgage the future of millions of Nigerians with a fresh $1.5bn credit from the World Bank,” Yusuf said.
This was just as the party questioned why the government was seeking additional loans despite increased revenue following the removal of the petrol subsidy.
It also attributed rising pressure on Nigerians to higher costs of food, electricity, transportation and healthcare, as well as reduced purchasing power and difficulties confronting businesses.
The APM consequently urged the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and other international lenders, including China and the United States, to withhold further credit to the Federal Government.
It said Nigeria needed greater transparency, fiscal discipline and investment in productive sectors rather than continued reliance on borrowing.
