I will serve one term if elected president in 2027 - Makinde

Seyi Makinde, presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), says he will serve only one term if elected president in the 2027 elections.

Speaking on Saturday during the APM town hall meeting in Yola, the capital of Adamawa, where he promised to “reset” the country and tackle insecurity, poverty, electricity shortages and other challenges confronting Nigerians, Makinde said his administration would be a transitional government of national unity.

“Our government will not last beyond four years. And it will be an all-inclusive government,” he said.

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), had also promised to serve one term if elected president in the 2027 polls.

The one-term pledge is primarily intended to address concerns about the rotation of power between the south and the north.

Makinde said his administration would be sincere in addressing the country’s challenges, listen to citizens, and avoid politicising issues affecting their welfare.

“My promise to you, the north-east and the people of Nigeria is this: we will be sincere in finding solutions to the challenges that we are faced with,” he said.

“We will not play politics. We will not undermine your rights. We will ensure that we tell you the exact truth. We will listen to you. Solutions can come from anywhere.”

The APM presidential candidate criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of failing to deliver on its campaign promises, particularly on electricity.

Makinde said Tinubu had asked Nigerians not to re-elect him if he failed to fix the country’s electricity challenges within four years.

“The current administration came in and told us that it had the magic wand to solve the challenges confronting us. So, we are all aware that they have failed to provide electricity and other things they promised. So, I believe we all know how to cast our ballots,” Makinde said.

He urged Nigerians to vote out the administration in 2027, saying the election would mark the end of the “politics of lies and deceit”.

“It is a time when we will all come together to establish a reset agenda and tell Nigerians the whole truth,” the Oyo governor said.

Makinde also faulted Tinubu’s policies on compressed natural gas, electric vehicles and the naira-for-crude initiative, describing them as failures.

He called on the federal government to make its petroleum pricing template public, noting that Nigerians deserved to know how the current price of petroleum products was determined.

Also speaking, Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi and national leader of the APM, described the party as “the number one opposition party in the country”.

Mohammed said the party had the experience and capacity to contribute to Nigeria’s development, adding that APM was committed to inclusivity, mutual respect, and providing opportunities for people from all parts of the country.