Ahead of the 2027 general election, some stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Allied Peoples Movement in Ekiti State have formed an alliance to mobilise support for the presidential ambitions of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
The stakeholders, drawn from the state’s 16 council areas, made the move at an advocacy and campaign programme convened by PDP chieftain Mrs Lanre Fajuyi, which called on opposition parties to unite and provide Nigerians with a credible alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The programme, tagged “APM Awareness Campaign,” brought together PDP and APM members, youths, women, artisans and other stakeholders to sensitise them to the need to strengthen the alliance and commence grassroots mobilisation for Makinde.
Fajuyi said the initiative was born out of a desire to mobilise Nigerians around a political alternative that would prioritise their welfare and strengthen democratic governance.
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.”
She urged PDP and APM members across Ekiti to take the campaign to the grassroots, saying sustained mobilisation would be crucial to the alliance’s success.
She also called on members of other political parties and residents of the state to join the movement, arguing that a strong opposition was necessary to prevent Nigeria from drifting into a one-party system.
Speaking on the alliance, the South-West PDP/APM spokesperson, Chief Sanya Atofarati, said that the partnership was designed to preserve multi-party democracy and provide a viable platform for opposition politicians ahead of the 2027 elections.
Atofarati noted that the internal and legal challenges confronting the PDP had made it necessary for members to explore an alternative platform through which they could pursue their political aspirations.
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.
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“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 described the APM as an emerging platform capable of accommodating opposition politicians and giving them the opportunity to participate actively in the 2027 elections.
He added that the alliance was not driven by regional considerations, dismissing the argument that supporting Makinde amounted to opposing a South-West candidate.
According to him, “This is not about where the candidate comes from. It is about the kind of leadership Nigerians want and the future we want for our country.”
Atofarati said the alliance would mobilise Nigerians behind what he described as younger, more energetic leadership capable of tackling the country’s economic and security challenges.
He added that the alliance would also seek to expand opportunities for young Nigerians and to give them greater participation in governance.
Also speaking, the Ekiti State Vice Chairman of the APM, Remilekun Solola, described the alliance as a strategic arrangement to build a formidable opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
Solola urged party members and supporters across the state to intensify grassroots mobilisation and ensure APM candidates received strong support during the elections.
He added that the alliance had given opposition-minded Nigerians an opportunity to work together and build a political structure capable of challenging the APC at various levels.
