2027’ll Be Decided By People Not Money Bags – Makinde

Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has declared that the 2027 presidential election will be decided by the Nigerian people and not by moneybags.

Makinde spoke on Monday at the APM North-Central Town Hall Meeting in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, where he thanked Governor Abdullahi Sule and the people of Nasarawa State for hosting his team.

The governor said the 2027 election will not be determined by pundits, pollsters, or the number of billionaires in any candidate’s corner, but by the people of Nigeria.

“2027 will be decided by people, not moneybags. It won’t be about how many billionaires you have or how much money you can throw around. It will be Nigerians versus hunger and bad governance,” he declared.

He also argued that governance requires energy, recounting his schedule in the last 24 hours – from Ibadan to Abuja, meetings in Abuja, a three-and-a-half-hour drive to Lafia at night, and meetings with candidates in the North-Central Zone till 2:00 a.m.

Addressing supporters including women in agriculture, market women, physically challenged women and widows, Makinde said his message is that when the tide is high, all boats will rise, and that his administration will create special programmes for vulnerable groups while resetting the entire economy for all Nigerians.

According to him, the reset will cover four critical areas – security, education, economy and the socio-political environment.

“The reset agenda can be concluded in four years. We had someone who was head of state in this country for 10 months, and he was able to end military rule and usher in the democracy we now enjoy in Nigeria.

“So we can reset Nigeria. Reset and give Nigeria a new security architecture. Reset and give Nigeria a new path for education. Reset our economy, utilising data, science and logic, and reset our socio-political environment in four years. That is our agenda,” he said.

“So as your President from May 29, 2027, we will run a transitional government of national unity that will culminate in new players and a new agenda for Nigeria’s sustainable development.”

The governor criticised what he described as “voodoo economics” at the federal level, saying midway into 2026, insecurity remains a big issue especially in the North-Central, yet he could not find budgetary provision for the newly announced Army divisions in the 2026 budget.

He also questioned whether increased money from the Federation Account to states has translated into fighting hunger.

Citing his experience in Oyo State, Makinde said when he came in in 2019, dependence on federal allocation was over 80 per cent, which his administration worked to bring down to 65 per cent by 2022, before the “subsidy is gone” statement pushed it back to almost 80 per cent.

Also speaking at the event, the National Chairman of the party, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, declared that the party can no longer be taken for granted, as Nigerians are now joining in droves ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Dantalle said the array of governorship hopefuls lined up with him was a sign of APM’s rebirth and growing national acceptance.

According to him, the 2027 election will not be about party labels but about rescuing Nigeria from hunger and underdevelopment.

Lamenting the hardship in the country, Dantalle said it was unacceptable for Nigerians to suffer amidst plenty, quoting the Hausa proverb, “muna kwana a kan dumin dawa, muna jin sanyi” – to sleep on a heap of guinea corn and still go hungry – a narrative he said must end with credible leadership.

In a strong message against monetary inducements, the APM Chairman warned voters in Nasarawa and across the North-Central not to trade their future for N5,000, a carton of Indomie or Maggi seasoning. He argued that such palliatives only translate to four more years of hunger, urging the electorate to choose truth and competence over token handouts.

He maintained that success at the polls will come only to leaders who stay close to the people and tell them the truth, not those who appear only during election season.