Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has declared his willingness to collaborate with other opposition parties to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Makinde disclosed that he was open to working with prominent opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, as political discussions intensify ahead of the election.
The governor made this known during an interview with ARISE News anchor, Ojy Okpe, aired on Friday, where he confirmed that talks were ongoing among opposition leaders to establish a possible alliance against the ruling APC.
He explained that he was personally involved in the discussions and was exploring possible political arrangements that could give the opposition a stronger chance in the forthcoming election.
“Discussions among opposition figures are ongoing, and I am actively involved in efforts to determine the most viable political arrangement ahead of the election. We are still discussing,” he said.
Makinde also dismissed suggestions that his support for an opposition coalition was merely an expression of willingness, insisting that he was already engaging with key opposition stakeholders.
However, the governor refrained from declaring support for any particular presidential aspirant, stressing that the opposition must make its choice based on verifiable facts rather than sentiments or personal interests.
“To arrive at a decision, you need data. We just won’t say, ‘Oh, okay,’ take emotional decisions and say, ‘Oh, it’s you.’ We have manifestos now, we have certain things in that manifesto,” the governor said.
He added that factors such as candidates’ manifestos, records of past performance and the opinions of Nigerians would be considered before reaching a final decision.
“We will sit down, we may have a historical performance. We also have the sentiment of the people. All of those things will come together and arrive at a decision.
“Depending on what we see between now and the election time, we may be rivals, we may be collaborators, we may be — one may be the client of the other.”
