The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has accused Governor Seyi Makinde of using his 2027 presidential ambition as an alleged strategy to evade accountability over what the party described as several corruption and abuse-of-office allegations.
The opposition party made the allegation in a statement issued at the weekend by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, and made available to journalists in Ibadan.
The APC also criticised the reported declaration of Monday, September 21, as a public holiday in the state, alleging that the move was connected to a youth focused musical concert scheduled to hold in Ibadan.
The party described the reported holiday declaration as an alleged abuse of office and accused the Makinde administration of deploying state resources to political activities ahead of the 2027 elections. It further questioned the governor’s decision to pursue the presidency on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), arguing that the party lacks the nationwide political structure required for a presidential contest.
According to the APC, Makinde’s presidential project is intended to distract Nigerians and anti-graft agencies from what it described as alleged cases involving false asset declaration, diversion of local government funds, contract variations, money laundering, land-related issues, government property sales, loans, contempt of court and disobedience to court orders.
The party alleged that the governor’s presidential ambition could provide an avenue for him to leave the country before the end of his tenure and avoid accountability over the allegations. It, however, did not provide details in its statement establishing that the alleged cases had resulted in convictions or that the presidential bid was designed for that purpose.
The APC also questioned the viability of Makinde’s presidential ambition under the APM, pointing to the party’s limited political presence and recent electoral performance as reasons for its concerns.
The party further challenged Makinde to explain how he intends to secure the presidency through the APM, which it described as lacking the national spread of the major political parties.
- Makinde and the APM have meanwhile continued with their presidential campaign activities, including planned town-hall engagements across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The campaign has presented the bid as part of a broader agenda to “reset” the country.
 in Oyo State has accused Governor Seyi Makinde of using his 2027 presidential ambition as an alleged strategy to evade accountability over what the party described as several corruption and abuse-of-office allegations.){kind=link}