The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) has challenged the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) to demonstrate its national political structure and electoral strength before presenting Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde as a presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
The organisation also accused Makinde of undermining local government administration in Oyo State, alleging that his seven-year administration had paralysed the 33 local government areas.
SSACO made the position known in a statement issued by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, while reacting to APM’s call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to step aside for Makinde.
Describing the call as laughable, the campaign organisation said the APM was engaging in political theatrics by projecting Makinde for the presidency without demonstrating the nationwide political structure required to contest a presidential election.
It argued that declaring a presidential ambition was different from building the political machinery needed to compete across the states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The statement challenged the APM to explain the extent of its electoral structures nationwide and demonstrate its capacity to field candidates across various elective positions in at least one-third of the country.
According to SSACO, Makinde’s alleged record on local government administration in Oyo State raises questions about his suitability for a national leadership ambition, particularly regarding grassroots development.
“APM’s Makinde is averse to the third tier of government in Nigeria, and this is evident in his seven-year anti-local government administration in Oyo State,” the statement said.
The organisation further argued that Makinde had political challenges to contend with in Oyo State before seeking to lead the country.
“More importantly, even Governor Seyi Makinde, whom the APM now parades as its presidential candidate, has serious political battles to fight in his home state of Oyo where he has paralyzed the 33 local governments in the last seven years.
“In fact, he is gasping for breath politically in the state,” it added.
SSACO maintained that any politician seeking the presidency must first establish a strong political base in their home state, insisting that nationwide electoral success could not be achieved through press statements alone.
It also questioned the timing of APM’s statement, suggesting that the party’s spokesperson might have been seeking to remind his employers about his salary.
On the 2027 presidential election, the campaign organisation said the contest would be determined by Nigerians and their assessment of the performance of the incumbent administration.
It listed the student loan scheme, establishment of new federal universities, construction of superhighways and reconstruction of inter-state and inter-city roads as some of the achievements it attributed to President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The organisation said these projects and programmes would feature prominently in voters’ assessment of the administration ahead of the 2027 general election.
