Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, has defended his decision to contest the 2027 presidential election against President Bola Tinubu, insisting that the South-West can produce two candidates for the contest.
Makinde spoke on Thursday at the APM South-West town hall meeting in Akure, Ondo State, amid questions over his decision to challenge Tinubu, who is also from the region.
The governor cited the 1999 presidential election, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the late Olu Falae, both from the South-West, contested for the presidency.
He argued that voters should be allowed to choose their preferred candidate based on competence and leadership capacity rather than regional considerations.
“What the South-West did was to present two of their finest and best for Nigeria to choose from. Is there anything wrong with that this time around?” he asked.
Makinde urged the region to reject what he described as the politics of deceit, saying his record in Oyo State demonstrated his capacity to provide an alternative to the current administration.
The APM candidate also criticised the Federal Government’s budget process, questioning the decision of Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, to travel from New York to Abuja to present the UN budget to Tinubu.
He argued that the government should prioritise transparency and effective implementation of Nigeria’s own budget before focusing on the UN budget.
“I refuse to agree that you must use the taxpayers’ money to fly from New York to Abuja to present the UN budget when, in fact, this is an administration that right now we don’t know which budget we’re operating on for Nigeria,” Makinde said.
He questioned whether the country was operating under the 2023, 2024, 2025 or 2026 budget, calling for greater clarity on the implementation of government spending plans.
Makinde contrasted the Federal Government’s approach with his administration’s budget performance in Oyo State, claiming that implementation had improved from between 28 and 30 per cent when he assumed office in 2019 to more than 70 per cent in recent years.
He said his administration had also maintained a January-to-December budget cycle to improve planning and accountability.
Makinde’s comments come as political parties and presidential hopefuls intensify preparations for the 2027 general election, with the economy, governance and the performance of the Tinubu administration expected to feature prominently in campaigns.
