​Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has confirmed that he is actively engaged in coalition talks with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi to forge a united front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election.
​Speaking during an exclusive interview with ARISE News anchor Ojy Okpe, aired on Friday, November 13, 2026, Makinde, who is running as the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), revealed that opposition figures are working behind the scenes to determine the most viable electoral strategy.
Reports of the morning broadcast, which emerged through the afternoon, highlighted the governor’s insistence that any alliance with Atiku, the flagbearer of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), or Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), would be dictated strictly by empirical data rather than personal sentiment.
​”Discussions among opposition figures are ongoing, and I am actively involved in efforts to determine the most viable political arrangement ahead of the election. We are still discussing,” Makinde said during the broadcast. He explained that selecting a consensus approach requires evaluating party manifestos, historical performance, and public sentiment rather than making emotional choices.
When pressed by Okpe on whether he would back Atiku if available data proved the former vice president was the strongest contender to lead the opposition, Makinde answered in the affirmative, stating that he is willing to work with any Nigerian on a deal anchored on national interest rather than personal ambition.
He added that depending on evolving political dynamics before the polls, the contenders could end up as rivals, collaborators, or strategic partners.
​While leaving the door wide open to fellow opposition leaders, the Oyo governor firmly ruled out any political reconciliation with President Bola Tinubu, scoring the administration’s performance at 34 per cent—a figure he tied to the proportion of voters who backed the President in 2023.
Makinde accused Tinubu of breaching a 2023 political agreement and argued that the administration had failed to win over the remaining 67 per cent of Nigerians who voted against it, citing worsening insecurity and inadequate support for teachers and schools as reasons for his “Reset Nigeria” alternative.
​Makinde’s Friday disclosures build upon months of multi-party consultations aimed at preventing a fractured opposition vote in 2027.
Prior to the television broadcast, key opposition stakeholders including Makinde, Atiku, Obi, and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) leader Rabiu Kwankwaso, had participated in high-level engagements, notably an Opposition Parties Summit convened in Abuja in August 2026 alongside earlier strategic meetings in Kano.
​Across the broader political divide, party officials and campaign spokespersons have continued to trade words over the viability of the emerging coalition.
While APM spokesperson Michael Ogunsina has previously projected strong electoral prospects for Makinde’s candidacy across multiple states, NDC spokesperson Dr. Constance Ikokwu and other opposition campaign officials have consistently advocated for unified strategies to unseat the ruling party.
Conversely, APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) spokespersons, including Cletus Obun, have dismissed the opposition’s coalition maneuvers as uncoordinated, even as Makinde maintained on Friday that opposition leaders still have sufficient time to finalize a winning framework ahead of the polls.
