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2027 Elections

2027: APM Backs Makinde as Best Man to Defeat Tinubu

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The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has thrown its weight behind Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, as its preferred candidate for a possible opposition alliance ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The party said Makinde possesses the political strength and public appeal required to mount a formidable challenge against President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The endorsement comes as opposition parties and political groups intensify efforts to produce a single presidential candidate capable of challenging Tinubu in the 2027 election.

The National Publicity Secretary of the APM, Abubakar Yusuf, disclosed the party’s position in Abuja while speaking with journalists. He said consultations among opposition parties were progressing towards the emergence of a consensus candidate.

According to Yusuf, opposition politicians must be prepared to set aside individual ambitions in the interest of producing a candidate capable of defeating the APC.

“Without prejudice to the outcome of the consultations, Governor Makinde comes clearer as the best opposition consensus presidential candidate,” he said.

Yusuf described the ongoing negotiations as sensitive, given the competing interests among opposition politicians, but maintained that the broader objective of providing Nigerians with an alternative government should remain paramount.

The development comes amid reported difficulties in efforts to unite major opposition figures. The camps of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi are believed to remain focused on their respective presidential ambitions.

Yusuf said he could not speak for either Atiku or Obi but appealed to all opposition stakeholders to subordinate personal interests to the collective goal of challenging the APC.

He also pointed to the argument within some political circles that the South should produce Tinubu’s successor in 2027, allowing the region to complete another four-year tenure before power potentially returns to the North.

However, the APM spokesman stressed that the party’s support for Makinde was not based solely on zoning or regional considerations.

He cited Makinde’s record as governor of Oyo State, as well as what he described as the governor’s popularity among young Nigerians, professionals and other sections of the electorate.

“Go across the country and ask questions. You will notice that Nigerians want a new beginning,” Yusuf said, arguing that voters were looking for practical solutions rather than political rhetoric.

He further claimed that Makinde had a practical blueprint for tackling Nigeria’s security, economic and infrastructure challenges.

“He is the only candidate with the blueprint to secure the nation, revamp the economy, create new jobs and revitalise our comatose infrastructure,” he added.

The APM’s endorsement adds another dimension to the growing political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with opposition parties facing the difficult task of reconciling competing ambitions while seeking a common candidate.

As consultations continue, the question of whether major opposition figures will eventually agree to back a single candidate is expected to remain central to preparations for the 2027 presidential contest.

 

2027 Elections

2027: Oyo APC Rejects Tinubu Campaign Backed by APM Support

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has warned members and promoters of the political group, Boye Nation, against campaigning for candidates of different political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The party insisted that anyone supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid must also work for all other APC candidates contesting elective positions in the state.

It consequently urged the group to either return to the APC and support its candidates across board or stay away from its campaign activities.

The warning followed the circulation of a video on social media showing campaign-branded vehicles displaying photographs and messages in support of President Tinubu and the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State, Bimbo Adekanmbi.

The vehicles reportedly carried the symbol of Boye Nation alongside the logos of the APC and APM, although no accompanying voice messages were heard.

In a statement issued in Ibadan on Thursday, the Oyo APC Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, said the party had received reports indicating that some individuals behind the activities of Boye Nation in the state were allegedly planning to create confusion within the political space.

Sadare, however, said the APC remained open to reconciliation with aggrieved members who had left the party, urging them to reconsider their political decisions.

He said, “We have got the reports from different sources that some individuals, who are behind the Boye Nation activities in Ibadan, are perfecting plans to create confusion in the polity.

“Some of these people celebrate their confusion on social media, but we can only wish them the best of luck. Information has it that some individuals who left our party recently are now trying to campaign for President Bola Tinubu against the presidential candidate of their new party.

“While we sympathise with the man in question, as he and his group must have realised the fatal error in their recent political move, we urge them to return home and play the role expected of them as progressive family members.”

The APC spokesman cautioned that the party’s willingness to reconcile with former members should not be interpreted as weakness.

He also rejected the use of campaign materials bearing the identities of multiple political parties, stressing that support for Tinubu must extend to other APC candidates.

“If you are supporting our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Tinubu, you must be intentional by working for the governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates of the APC at the same time, as doing otherwise would be unacceptable to us,” the statement added.

PUNCH Online reports that Ajiboye Sangogade, popularly known as Boye Nation, a former personal assistant and loyalist of ex-Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, led a group of APC members who defected to the APM in Oyo State in September 2026.

The development highlights the political differences surrounding party loyalty and campaign alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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2027 Elections

2027: Yari Challenges Ekiti to Deliver 800,000 Votes for Tinubu

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Former Zamfara State Governor and Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, has challenged Ekiti residents to deliver at least 800,000 votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Yari made the appeal on Thursday during the APC campaign rally in Ekiti State, where he urged residents to increase their support for Tinubu, insisting that the President had performed well and deserved a second term.

Speaking at the rally, which was monitored on television by our correspondent, Yari said the Tinubu administration had not neglected Ekiti, citing investments in education, road infrastructure, youth development and women’s empowerment.

“Asiwaju has not forgotten the people of Ekiti. He has done his best by introducing schools and universities, constructing roads, providing educational support to youths and empowering women, among other initiatives,” he said.

Yari urged Ekiti residents not to allow what he described as the achievements of the Tinubu administration to go to waste.

“The labour of this great democrat cannot be allowed to go in vain,” he added.

Tinubu is seeking re-election in the January 16, 2027, presidential election, as scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

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2027 Elections

Politics Is Expensive’: Wike Reacts to Opposition Complaints Over Abuja Billboard Costs

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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has defended the high cost of billboard advertising in Abuja, insisting that political campaigns are expensive globally and that parties should explore alternative. platforms, including social media, to reach voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Wike made the remarks during his monthly media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Thursday, following complaints by opposition parties over the rising cost of securing billboard spaces in the nation’s capital.

Some opposition parties have expressed concerns that the increasing charges for prominent billboard locations in Abuja could restrict their ability to publicise candidates and campaign messages, potentially creating difficulties for parties with limited financial resources.

However, the FCT minister dismissed suggestions that the charges were intended to disadvantage opposition parties, explaining that the increase was part of the administration’s revenue-generation efforts.

According to him, political parties should recognise the financial demands of electioneering and take advantage of digital platforms to communicate with their supporters.

“Politics is expensive all over the world,” Wike said, adding that parties could use their social media platforms to campaign.

The minister maintained that the FCT administration was interested in generating revenue through billboard advertising, particularly during periods when demand for advertising spaces increases.

“We want money. The FCT wants money, and part of us making money is through the billboards to raise our revenue.

“If we know that in a given time, people will rush the billboard and authority feel that we will raise the funds to make more money,” he said.

Wike insisted that the charges were not introduced to target any political party, stressing that the revenue generated would be channelled into infrastructure development and improved public services across the territory.
“The authority did not raise funds against you, because it is you.

“I am going to use the money to do more roads, to improve the schools,” he stated.

The former Rivers State governor also questioned the significance opposition parties attached to billboard advertising, arguing that the medium alone could not determine the outcome of an election.

He suggested that political parties should focus on broader campaign strategies rather than relying heavily on outdoor advertising to secure electoral support.

“For Christ’s sake, a billboard does not win an election; how many people in the villages know about the billboard?” he said.

Addressing concerns about unequal access to campaign advertising platforms, Wike noted that political parties and other organisations also pay substantial amounts to secure premium advertising slots in media organisations.

He further explained that the FCT administration was not responsible for determining which individuals or organisations secured billboard spaces, maintaining that advertisers could make advance payments to reserve preferred locations.

“People go and pay a year ahead for billboards, ‘how will I know?’ ‘My business is not going to ask, who and who paid for the billboard; I have no business there,” he said.

Wike also challenged opposition parties alleging discrimination in the allocation or pricing of billboard spaces to formally approach the FCT administration with their complaints.

He insisted that no political party or representative had personally brought the matter to his attention.

“Let them complain to us; no one has complained to us. Nobody has complained to me,” he said.

The controversy over billboard advertising costs comes as political parties begin preparations for the 2027 general elections, with access to campaign platforms, media visibility and funding expected to feature prominently in political activities ahead of the polls.

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