Makinde Says Tinubu’s Economic Approach Led Him to Challenge President in 2027

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde said Thursday that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s handling of economic reform and national unity explained his decision to challenge him in Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election. Makinde said he had supported Tinubu in 2023 but now wanted a different direction for the country. In a statement on his campaign website, Makinde said he had expected Tinubu to assemble capable Nigerians in a government focused on competence and national unity. “Three years later, I no longer believe his administration is taking us in that direction,” he said. He criticized what he described as an emphasis on economic stabilization without enough development, excuses based on inherited problems and alliances built around political objectives. Makinde said he supported changing petrol subsidies and foreign exchange arrangements, but argued that the government had not sufficiently prepared households for their effects. He said he would have used the transition before taking office to prepare relief measures, convened the National Economic Council and coordinated interventions across federal, state and local governments. He called for clear explanations of the funding, intended beneficiaries and measurable results of such measures. Makinde dated his presidential declaration to May 14, 2026, and reiterated a pledge to serve only one four-year term. He described his proposed administration as a transitional government of national unity. Recalling his own political career, he said he had lost two Senate contests and an earlier governorship bid before becoming Oyo governor in 2019.