2027 election will be decided by Nigerians, not billionaires – Seyi Makinde

The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has stated that the 2027 presidential election will be determined by Nigerians rather than by wealthy political backers or massive campaign spending.

Seyi Makinde made this statement on Monday, September 28 at the APM North-Central Zonal Town Hall Meeting in Lafia, Nasarawa State.

The Oyo State Governor, who is campaigning on his "Reset Nigeria" agenda, stated that political patronage and financial muscle would not dictate the election outcome.

“This election, 2027 election, will not be determined by pundits and pollsters,” Seyi Makinde said.

“This election is not going to be determined by the number of billionaires you have in your corner, or how much billion you have to spend. This election will be determined by the people of Nigeria.”

Seyi Makinde also criticized the Federal Government’s management of the economy, describing its policies as “voodoo economics.”

He noted that while state governments currently receive higher allocations from the Federation Account, the increase in funds has failed to translate into a reduction in widespread hunger across the country.

He explained that Oyo State’s reliance on federal allocations dropped from over 80 percent when he took office in 2019 to 65 percent by 2022, but subsequently rose back to nearly 80 percent following the removal of petrol subsidy.

“They claim we have more money, that the state governors, the state government have been collecting more money from the federation account. I’m not arguing with that. Yes, the quantum of the money, yes, we have more money, but has it translated to fighting hunger in our society?“The answer is no,” he said.

On security, Seyi Makinde questioned the planning and budgetary allocation behind the Federal Government’s proposal to establish additional army divisions. He stated that an examination of the 2026 national budget revealed no specific financial provisions for establishing the proposed military divisions, stressing that tackling national insecurity requires structured planning rather than ad-hoc announcements.