Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has declared his readiness to work with Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar and other political leaders to rebuild Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Makinde, however, ruled out any immediate political collaboration with President Bola Tinubu, accusing him of failing to honour a previous agreement between them.
The governor made the disclosure during an interview with Arise News, where he was asked whether he considered Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), qualified to lead Nigeria.
Responding, Makinde affirmed that the former Anambra State governor was qualified for the presidency.
Asked whether he would be willing to work with Obi if an opportunity arose, the APM candidate said he was prepared to collaborate with Nigerians across political party lines, including members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“I’m willing to work with any Nigerian, even whether you’re in the APC,” he said.
However, when the interviewer specifically mentioned Tinubu, Makinde expressed reservations, pointing to an alleged agreement between them which he claimed the President failed to honour.
“Well, I’ve had a certain experience with him, where an agreement was signed and he didn’t keep to it,” the governor stated.
Makinde said he had no similar unresolved issues with Obi or Atiku, stressing that he remained open to working with both opposition leaders in the interest of the country.
When asked whether he would reconsider his position if Tinubu personally approached him with an invitation to collaborate on resetting Nigeria, the governor said such an offer would be welcome but insisted that appropriate safeguards must be put in place.
“Well, that would really be nice, you know. But there must be safeguards for Nigeria,” he said.
He added that the country’s future and destiny were too important to be treated as a political game.
“This is not like we’re just playing. This is the future of Nigeria. This is also about the destiny that Nigeria must fulfil,” he said.
The APM presidential candidate also expressed willingness to work with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, despite their political differences.
Asked whether he would collaborate with Wike if the minister sought reconciliation, Makinde answered in the affirmative, insisting that his position was not driven by personal animosity.
“Of course, there’s nothing personal here,” he said.
However, when pressed on why he was willing to work with Wike but not Tinubu, the governor maintained that the circumstances surrounding both relationships were different.
“Well, for the FCT minister, you know, his own cases are different from the President,” he explained.
Further justifying his position on Tinubu, Makinde questioned why Nigerians should be expected to enter into another agreement without being given an account of the previous commitments.
He insisted that the President should first demonstrate that the earlier agreement had been fulfilled before expecting renewed political cooperation.
“If you agree on something and you’re asking me to do the same thing again, then give the scorecard. Tell us if the agreement was fulfilled. What have Nigerians got out of this?” he queried.
