The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) says it is intensifying efforts to build a broad opposition coalition around the presidential ambition of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, citing growing support from within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State as evidence its strategy is working.
Makinde, who emerged as the APM’s presidential candidate, is being positioned by the party as a credible alternative to President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.
The latest show of support came after thousands of PDP members and other residents gathered in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, to publicly reaffirm their backing for Makinde’s presidential bid and their willingness to collaborate with the APM going into 2027. Those involved said they would retain their membership and structure within the PDP even as they throw their weight behind Makinde’s candidacy under the APM banner.
APM National Publicity Secretary Abubakar Yusuf, addressing the development in a statement, described the reaffirmation as a boost to the coalition-building effort. He said the party’s cross-party engagements were gaining momentum and that alliance talks with like-minded political parties were “yielding the desired results.”
Yusuf said the party was “working very hard and putting all our energy into this election because we are running to win,” describing Makinde as a candidate who has become a rallying point for Nigerians, particularly young people.
APM officials have repeatedly pointed to Makinde’s tenure as Oyo State governor citing his performance in the economy, security, infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture and civil service welfare as the basis for his growing appeal beyond his home state. The party maintains that his record has led many Nigerians to view him as a viable alternative to Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Yusuf indicated that the Ekiti endorsement would not be an isolated case, saying further declarations of support from other states and political groups were expected in the coming weeks as the coalition-building drive continues.
The Ekiti mobilisation is the latest in a series of developments suggesting a widening alliance between the APM and elements within the PDP, at a time when the PDP itself has been contending with internal leadership disputes. Reports earlier in the year suggested Makinde was being urged by associates and supporter groups to formally declare his presidential ambition, including at a rally in Ibadan, though the governor has yet to make an official declaration confirming his candidacy under the APM.
Political observers say the emerging PDP-APM alignment reflects a broader realignment among opposition parties as they position themselves to mount a unified challenge to the APC in the 2027 presidential election.
The APM has not disclosed further details of which other states or party chapters it expects to announce support in the near term.
