Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Engr. Seyi Makinde, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of weaponising political alliances to consolidate personal power rather than foster national unity, stating that the current administration has failed to deliver the competent governance he anticipated when he backed Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.
​Makinde made the remarks in a detailed public statement titled “RESET NIGERIA”—also published under the heading “Why is Seyi Makinde Running for President”—which was released on Thursday, November 12, 2026, via his official campaign website (seyimakinde.com) and newsletter around midday, with major Nigerian news outlets reporting the development between 1:55 PM and 6:30 PM WAT.
​Addressing questions surrounding his political rift with the presidency, Makinde clarified that his decision to challenge President Tinubu in the upcoming January 16, 2027 presidential election stems from policy failures rather than personal animosity or blind ambition. “I supported President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023. Today, I am running against him in the 2027 presidential election,” Makinde wrote.
“Some people have asked what changed. Others believe there must have been a personal disagreement between us. I understand why they would think that. But my decision is not about a personal disagreement or an ambition to occupy Aso Rock. It is about the future of Nigeria and the opportunities available to Nigerians.”
​The Oyo governor recalled that his 2023 endorsement was anchored on the belief that Tinubu would leverage his political experience and broad network to assemble a government of national unity and competence capable of revamping the economy. Three years later, however, Makinde maintained that he no longer believes the administration is taking the country in that direction.
​In his Thursday statement, Makinde anchored his break with the presidency on four core grievances, beginning with what he described as the pursuit of political power over national unity. He alleged that President Tinubu’s political alliances serve narrow partisan objectives rather than the collective national interest, expressing alarm over the systematic weakening of opposition parties essential to Nigeria’s democracy.
​Turning to the economy, Makinde faulted the government for achieving statistical stability without tangible development. While acknowledging improvements in certain macroeconomic indicators, he argued that those gains have failed to translate into job creation, productive enterprises, or real relief for struggling households.
​He also criticised the administration for pursuing economic reforms without citizen protection, pointing specifically to the abrupt removal of the petrol subsidy in 2023.
Makinde noted that Tinubu, having opposed a similar move during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in 2012 and witnessed the pre-election fuel and naira scarcities, should have utilised the presidential transition period to design coordinated social safety nets with state governors through the National Economic Council.
“Nigerians deserved better preparation and better protection,” he asserted, adding that the federal government has instead resorted to governing by excuses rather than offering measurable solutions to everyday hardship.
​Makinde’s Thursday newsletter follows an active week of nationwide campaign engagements ahead of the 2027 polls. Having formally declared his presidential bid on May 14, 2026, at a joint rally in Ibadan, Oyo State, and unveiled the Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign RESET NIGERIA Manifesto in Abuja on November 4, 2026, the governor took his campaign to Jos, Plateau State, earlier this week.
There, he held engagements at the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) headquarters and addressed a campaign rally at Rayfield Park, Jos, on November 9, 2026, following an earlier stop in Bauchi State.
​Driving the messaging and mobilization around Makinde’s candidacy are key party and campaign figures, including Richard Ihediwa, Director of Strategic Communications for the Makinde Presidential Campaign, who issued formal briefings earlier in the week highlighting Makinde’s 2019 political breakthrough and anti-godfatherism credentials.
Alongside him, the National Chairman of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, has spearheaded party mobilization across campaign stops, urging grassroots supporters to protect their votes at the polling unit level.
​Reiterating his pledge to serve a single, four-year transitional term if elected in January 2027, Makinde urged Nigerians not to give up on the democratic process, insisting that another four years under the current trajectory would inflict deeper damage on public institutions and youth opportunities.
