Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde. Photo: Oyo State Government.

Stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Allied Peoples Movement in Ekiti State on Thursday converged on Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, to strategise for grassroots mobilisation in support of the presidential bid of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

PDP chieftain and convener of the alliance in Ekiti State, Mrs Lanre Fajuyi, said mobilisation for Makinde’s presidential election was because “he represents the kind of leadership the country needs at the present time.”

Recall that Makinde emerged as the APM presidential candidate for the 2027 election following the formalisation of the PDP-APM alliance in May 2026, which is believed to have positioned it as an opposition coalition capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Fajuyi, while addressing the stakeholders drawn from the 16 Local Government Areas of the state, who gathered for the advocacy and campaign awareness programme, tagged ‘APM Awareness Campaign,’ said “the initiative was motivated by the need to mobilise Nigerians for a credible alternative to the current administration.”

The convener said that the programme 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.

Ekiti PDP, APM stakeholders at the awareness programme.

She said, “Nigerians are yearning for a government that will genuinely serve the interests of the masses, promote democratic governance, and address the economic and social challenges confronting the country.

“Makinde represents the kind of leadership the country needs at the present time. I’m calling on the PDP and APM members across Ekiti to begin early grassroots mobilisation for his emergence as president in 2027.

“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 Makinde is the right person for the position of the President of Nigeria, come 2027.”

The PDP/APM spokesperson, South-West, 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, who described the APM as an increasingly viable opposition platform in Ekiti, said that the alliance would provide a vehicle for the PDP members and other opposition groups to participate actively in the elections.

He said, “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 said.

APM Vice Chairman in Ekiti State, Remilekun Solola, who stressed the importance of the alliance, described it as a strategic platform for building a credible opposition ahead of the elections.