Makinde inaugurates APM campaign committee for 2027 elections, urges unity

By Adejayan Gbenga

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has inaugurated the apex campaign committee of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 general elections, charging members to build an inclusive structure that accommodates both old and new members.

The inauguration was held on Friday at the Conference Room of the Governor’s Office, Agodi, Ibadan. Makinde, who is also the APM presidential candidate, said the committee was not the full campaign council but the party’s highest coordinating body responsible for consulting leaders and stakeholders to establish a broad-based campaign structure for the elections.

At the unveiling, the governor announced the Executive Chairman of the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Nureni Adeniran, as the Oyo State coordinator of the APM 2027 Presidential Campaign and director-general of the Oyo State Governorship Campaign Council.

Other officials inaugurated into the campaign structure include Hon. Saheed Arowosaye as deputy state coordinator of the APM 2027 Presidential Campaign, Hon. Demola Ojo, Dr. Femi Ojo and Alhaji Siju Lawal as deputy directors-general for the three senatorial districts, while Hon. Ramata Agberemi-Dabo and Hon. Kazeem Bolarinwa were appointed directors of the Women’s and Youth Wings respectively.

Makinde urged the campaign committee to move swiftly in harmonising the party’s political structure with existing APM members, stressing the need to respect loyal party members who remained with the platform before its recent expansion. He also directed the committee to begin consultations across the state’s 33 local government areas and wards.

The presidential candidate further warned against actions capable of creating division within the party, saying members must work together and carry everyone along. He also stressed the place of unity, adding that unity would be crucial to the party’s chances in the 2027 general elections.

Explaining the decision to adopt the APM platform, the governor said it followed wide consultations after it became clear that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) could no longer provide a viable platform for the political movement ahead of the elections.

According to him, Nigeria’s democracy requires credible political alternatives, adding that the APM intends to offer Nigerians a genuine choice. He maintained that the country’s founding principles of federalism and multi-party democracy should be preserved.