2027: Ekiti PDP, APM Stakeholders Mobilise for Makinde’s Presidential bid
Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti
Ahead of the 2027 general election, stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Ekiti State have begun grassroots mobilisation in support of the presidential aspiration of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde.
The stakeholders, drawn from the 16 local government areas of the state, converged on Ekiti for an advocacy and campaign awareness programme convened by a PDP chieftain, Mrs Lanre Fajuyi, with a call for opposition forces to unite and provide Nigerians with a credible alternative in the 2027 elections.
The programme, tagged ‘APM Awareness Campaign,’ focused on sensitising PDP members, youths, women, artisans and other stakeholders on the need to strengthen the PDP-APM alliance and mobilise support for Makinde’s presidential bid.
Makinde, who has formally declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election on the APM platform, has positioned the PDP-APM alliance as an opposition coalition capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Fajuyi, who described herself as the convener of the advocacy and campaign awareness programme, said the initiative was motivated by the need to mobilise Nigerians around what she described as a credible alternative to the current administration.
According to her, Nigerians were yearning for a government that would genuinely serve the interests of the masses, promote democratic governance and address the economic and social challenges confronting the country.
She said Makinde represented the kind of leadership the country needed at the present time, urging PDP and APM members across Ekiti to commence early grassroots mobilisation for his emergence as president in 2027.
Fajuyi also called on members of other political parties and residents of the state to embrace what she described as a broader movement to strengthen democracy and prevent the country from sliding into a one-party system.
She said: “We need a government that is genuinely ready and willing to assist the masses and provide democratic governance that will serve the interests of the people.
“We have looked around and asked ourselves who can provide the kind of leadership that Nigeria needs at this critical time. We believe that Governor Seyi Makinde is the right person for the position of President of Nigeria come 2027.”
Speaking on the PDP-APM alliance, the South-west PDP/APM spokesperson, Chief Sanya Atofarati, said the partnership was a product of the need to preserve multi-party democracy and provide a viable opposition platform ahead of the elections.
Atofarati said the alliance had become necessary against the backdrop of legal and internal challenges confronting the PDP, stressing that political actors needed to explore alternative platforms capable of accommodating their aspirations.
He described the APM as an increasingly viable opposition platform in Ekiti, saying the alliance would provide a vehicle for members of the PDP and other opposition groups to participate actively in the 2027 elections.
According to him, “The beauty of democracy lies in the multi-party system. What we are witnessing today is a joint alliance between the PDP and the APM because we understand the legal impediments and sanctions currently confronting the PDP.
“In view of this, it is only wise for PDP members to seek a more viable alternative platform in the interest of those who intend to contest one position or another under the party.”
Atofarati criticised the performance of the President Bola Tinubu-led APC administration, alleging that economic hardship and insecurity had worsened under the present government.
He rejected the argument that support for Makinde would amount to opposition to a South-west candidate, saying the campaign was about providing Nigerians with a credible alternative rather than regional politics.
He maintained that the objective was to mobilise Nigerians behind younger and more energetic leadership capable of addressing the country’s challenges and expanding opportunities for the younger generation.
The Ekiti State Vice-Chairman of the APM, Chief Remilekun Solola, also stressed the importance of the PDP-APM alliance, describing it as a strategic platform for building a credible opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
Solola urged residents and party supporters across the state to intensify grassroots mobilisation and ensure that APM candidates receive strong support at the polls.
He said the alliance offered an opportunity for opposition-minded Nigerians to work together and build a political structure capable of challenging the APC at various levels of government.
The stakeholders further urged PDP and APM members across the 16 local government areas of Ekiti State to take the campaign to the grassroots, stressing that sustained mobilisation would be crucial to the success of the alliance in the 2027 elections.
Makinde’s emergence as the APM presidential candidate followed the formalisation of the PDP-APM alliance in May 2026, with the Oyo governor presenting his presidential bid as part of an effort to reset the country and strengthen opposition politics.