The presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has urged voters in the South-East to reject ethnic and religious considerations when making their political choices ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Makinde made the appeal at the APM South-East town hall meeting in Enugu, where he presented his party’s agenda and called for national unity, irrespective of ethnic or religious differences.
The governor acknowledged the political support enjoyed by former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the region but said his campaign would not be discouraged from taking its message to the South-East.
He explained that Nigeria’s challenges, including hunger, poverty and unemployment, affect citizens across all regions and should not be viewed through ethnic or religious divisions.
Makinde said his proposed Reset Agenda would focus on four major areas: economic recovery, restructuring the security architecture, reforming education and rebuilding the country’s socio-political system.
He added that his campaign had consulted Nigerians across the six geopolitical zones to understand their concerns, noting that the party’s manifesto would be unveiled on November 4, 2026.
The APM candidate also promised to address the trust deficit between government and citizens, citing his experience in Oyo State, where he said his administration had worked to rebuild public confidence.
On the economy, Makinde said his government would prioritise job creation, entrepreneurship and access to long-term financing for businesses, rather than relying mainly on the sharing of federal allocations.
He also disclosed a partnership with Skill Reset Nigeria to train one million young Nigerians in employable skills, urging interested participants to register through the initiative’s website.
Meanwhile, the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Lawal Daura, said the country must urgently address hunger, insecurity and deprivation, warning that democracy could not thrive where politics was militarised and security politicised.
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Daura described the proposed 16-point agenda as a framework for addressing the country’s challenges, adding that Nigerians deserved leadership committed to improving their living conditions.
Also speaking, APM National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, called on President Bola Tinubu to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race and allow Makinde to complete what he described as the remaining four years of the South’s turn in power.
