Seyi Makinde, the presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement and Governor of Oyo State, has expressed strong confidence that he will win the 2027 presidential election, stating that he has both God and the Nigerian people on his side.
Makinde made the declaration on Sunday during a church service at the Church of Christ in Nations in Jos, Plateau State. According to a statement issued by his Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa, the governor said his presidential ambition is not backed by any political godfather but by God Almighty and the people of Nigeria.
Aspiration Rooted in Faith, Not Godfathers
Reflecting on his political journey, Makinde recalled the skepticism he faced in 2018 when he first expressed his intention to become governor of Oyo State. He recounted being asked whether he could succeed without a political godfather. His response, he said, was that he had God the Father, and he went on to become governor.
“This time around, we also have God the Father, and God will be merciful unto Nigeria, and He will show us mercy in this country,” Makinde said, expressing optimism that divine providence would provide the right leadership for Nigeria through the 2027 election.
Reset Nigeria Agenda and Four Priority Areas
The APM candidate said his ambition is driven by the need to reset Nigeria through effective leadership and to address pressing challenges in security, the economy, education and the socio-political system. He noted that his administration in Oyo State has been guided by planning, transparency and accountability, with development road maps covering his two terms from 2019 to 2027.
While presenting his Reset Nigeria Manifesto to the leadership of the church, Makinde urged Nigerians to hold him accountable for the promises contained in the document. He stressed that his commitments are documented in writing rather than merely spoken as promises, and that he is prepared to be held responsible for everything the document contains.
Call for Christian Participation in Politics
Makinde urged Nigerians, particularly Christians, to participate actively in politics and to prepare to enforce their will in the 2027 presidential election. “Please, get ready and participate. History is about to happen again,” he said.
The President of COCIN, Rev. Dr Amos Mohzo, urged Makinde to address Nigeria’s major challenges, particularly worsening insecurity and economic hardship, while praying for his success in the 2027 presidential election. Mohzo also encouraged the APM candidate to sustain his campaign, expressing hope that God’s will would prevail in his political journey.
Campaign Trail and Election Timeline
Makinde, who flagged off his presidential campaign in Bauchi State on Saturday, was in Jos ahead of the party’s Plateau State rally scheduled for Monday at Rayfield Park. The Independent National Electoral Commission has fixed January 16, 2027, for the presidential election.
Reform Versus Reset
Speaking during a live political programme on Jay FM radio station in Jos ahead of the rally, Makinde argued that Nigeria needs a complete reset rather than mere reform to move forward. He explained that reform is only viable when the good within a system outweighs the bad, but when the good accounts for only about 20 per cent of expectations, tweaking the system may not be the best course of action.
Drawing an analogy to a computer system that keeps hanging whenever a programme is run, Makinde said the best course of action is not necessarily to keep tweaking the programme but to use the reset button, shut down the system, reboot it and then proceed with a clearer path. He added that he was not born a politician but decided to participate because the future of millions of Nigerians and the destiny of what he described as potentially the greatest black country on earth are at stake.
Economy Must Work for Ordinary Nigerians
Makinde identified the economy as the foremost priority, insisting that economic performance should be measured by the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians rather than by statistics alone. He said it is not enough to cite growth in external reserves or quote World Bank figures on inflationary trends; what matters is what the ordinary person on the street is feeling and whether they are able to feed themselves.
“If you cannot feel the impact of an improving economy at the street level, then the economy is not getting better,” he said. He called for greater investment in skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, education and intensive production, arguing that Nigeria must create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and provide employment opportunities for its youthful population.
Push for State Police
Makinde also promised to decentralise Nigeria’s security architecture through the establishment of state police if elected president in 2027. He said state police would enable governors to respond more effectively to security challenges in their respective states, adding that states willing and ready to establish the institution should be allowed to do so with appropriate safeguards.
Recalling his long-standing support for state police, Makinde said he advocated the establishment of the institution shortly after assuming office in 2019, following growing security concerns across the country. He noted that he and other governors approached the late President Muhammadu Buhari towards the end of 2019 with the proposal, but the argument at the time was that some states could not even pay workers’ salaries and therefore could not establish state police.
Makinde explained that governors in the South-West subsequently established the Western Nigeria Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun, as an alternative security arrangement pending the establishment of state police. He described Amotekun as a midway point between having a full-fledged state police and having nothing, noting that even if operatives were only permitted to carry sticks, they could gather intelligence and provide useful information. He said the arrangement has worked very well in the region, with no issues in getting the operatives to work with federal security agencies.
Addressing Concerns Over State Police
The governor acknowledged concerns that state police could become a tool in the hands of some governors to oppress citizens and political opponents, but maintained that appropriate safeguards could address such fears. He said the concerns are legitimate but noted that the country has gone through similar arrangements before and that not all states need to establish state police at the same time.
“Let the opportunity exist. If you think you are ready, you have ticked the boxes and put the safeguards in place, you should go ahead and secure your state,” he said. Makinde further argued that Nigeria needs a security arrangement that reflects the realities of individual states rather than relying entirely on a centralised structure.
He also linked insecurity to the absence of economic opportunities for young Nigerians, warning that failure to provide a clear future for the country’s growing youth population could worsen security challenges. According to him, some young people are becoming involved in crime and criminality because they have not been given a path to the future.
