Makinde picks ex-SSS DG Daura as running mate for 2027

By Adejayan Gbenga

The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, Seyi Makinde, has picked former Director-General of the State Security Service, Lawal Daura, as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.

Daura, who served as SSS director-general between 2015 and 2018, was announced as Makinde’s running mate on Thursday at the APM national convention held at the Rilwan Adamu Square in Bauchi. Makinde was also formally elected as the party’s presidential candidate at the convention.

According to a statement issued by the Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, Makinde deliberately selected the former intelligence chief because of his experience in tackling security challenges.

The statement said Daura’s experience at the helm of the nation’s intelligence service would be useful in addressing the insecurity confronting the country. Daura was removed from office in 2018 by former President Muhammadu Buhari after heading the SSS for three years.

Speaking after his emergence, Makinde pledged to work with politicians who share his vision for a better Nigeria.

He said his administration, if elected, would collaborate with like-minded political actors to address the challenges facing the country and improve governance.

The APM candidate also promised to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty, blaming the worsening economic hardship on what he described as poorly implemented policies over the past three years. He said he was prepared to introduce measures that would improve the welfare of Nigerians and reduce poverty.

Speaking on the venue of the convention, Makinde explained that Bauchi was deliberately chosen because it was the home state of Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, adding that the location carried historical significance.