2027 Presidency: Makinde Takes APM Campaign to South-East, Seeks Support Beyond Ethnic Lines

The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has urged voters in the South-East to reject ethnic and religious sentiments in choosing their preferred candidates in the 2027 general election.

Makinde made the appeal at the APM South-East Town Hall Meeting in Enugu, where he argued that Nigeria’s challenges affect citizens irrespective of their ethnic or religious backgrounds and therefore require collective solutions.

Acknowledging the political support enjoyed by former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the region, Makinde said the APM was determined to present its own vision and policy alternatives to Nigerians.

He identified the party’s proposed reset agenda as covering four key areas: economic recovery, security restructuring, education reform and rebuilding the country’s socio-political system.

The APM candidate said his campaign had engaged Nigerians across the six geopolitical zones to understand their concerns and incorporate their expectations into the party’s policy direction.

He disclosed that the party would finalise its manifesto over the weekend ahead of its unveiling on November 4, 2026.

Makinde also identified sincerity and rebuilding public trust as critical to addressing Nigeria’s governance challenges, claiming that a significant proportion of the country’s problems could be resolved through honest leadership and improved confidence between government and citizens.

Drawing from his experience as governor of Oyo State, he said his administration had worked to bridge the trust deficit between the government and the people, expressing confidence that the same approach could be replicated nationally.

On the economy, the APM presidential candidate promised to prioritise job creation, industrial expansion and entrepreneurship, stressing the need to move Nigeria away from dependence on sharing federal allocations towards a productive economy capable of generating sustainable wealth.

He criticised the country’s borrowing pattern despite reported improvements in foreign reserves and tax revenue collections, while identifying high interest rates and inadequate access to long-term financing as major obstacles to industrial development.

Makinde said his proposed administration would address the challenges, particularly the high cost of credit, which he argued was discouraging investment in manufacturing.

He further disclosed that his campaign had partnered with Skill Reset Nigeria to train one million young Nigerians in employable skills, urging interested youths to register through SkillReset.com.

Also speaking, the APM vice-presidential candidate, Lawal Daura, identified hunger, poverty, deprivation and insecurity as major threats to national stability.

Daura warned that democracy could not thrive where politics was militarised and security politicised, insisting that Nigeria required selfless and competent leadership to overcome its challenges.

He said the party’s proposed 16-point agenda was designed to address the hardship confronting Nigerians, adding that the country could no longer afford to tolerate widespread hunger and deprivation.