2027: Makinde urges S’East voters to reject ethnic, religious divisions

The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, Seyi Makinde, has urged voters in the South-East not to allow ethnic and religious considerations to influence their choices in the 2027 general election.

Makinde made the appeal at the APM South-East town hall meeting in Enugu, monitored by our correspondent, where he said Nigeria’s challenges affected citizens regardless of their ethnic or religious affiliations.

In the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, then the Labour Party candidate, won in all five South-East states. Obi is now the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

Addressing the gathering, Makinde urged Nigerians to reject divisions along ethnic and religious lines, saying the country’s problems required collective solutions.

“Our reset agenda has four major pillars: resetting the economy, restructuring our security architecture, reforming the education system, and resetting the socio-political space,” he said.

He acknowledged the political support Obi enjoys in the region but said his party was determined to present its own agenda to voters.

“When we were coming here, we were almost discouraged. People told us, This is the zone of my friend and brother, His Excellency Peter Obi. The entire South-East is firmly behind him.’ But we said that we would not be deterred. We would bring our message to the South-East and give the people an opportunity to hear what we have to offer,” he said.

Makinde added, “My message to you today is this: Please reject all forms of division along religious or ethnic lines. The challenges we face do not discriminate on the basis of religion or ethnicity.

“What we must do is create opportunities for our people, particularly our teeming youth, so that we can tackle hunger, address grinding poverty and move our people from poverty to prosperity.”

The APM candidate said his campaign team had consulted Nigerians across the six geopolitical zones to understand their concerns and incorporate their expectations into the party’s policy agenda.

He said the party would finalise its manifesto over the weekend ahead of its unveiling on November 4, 2026, adding that the document would outline proposed solutions to the challenges raised during the town hall meetings.

Makinde said sincerity and trust were essential to addressing the country’s challenges, arguing that rebuilding confidence between leaders and citizens could help improve governance.

“Of course, every country faces challenges. There is no doubt about that. However, I believe that 30 per cent of these challenges can be resolved simply by demonstrating sincerity. When we confront these problems with honesty and sincerity, 30 per cent of them will disappear on their own. We will therefore work to bridge the trust deficit between leaders and citizens,” he said.

He recalled that residents of Oyo State had previously expressed doubts about government promises but said his administration had worked to rebuild public trust.

“I experienced this challenge in Oyo State before I became governor. Whenever the government announced plans to do something, citizens would sneer and say, ‘We have heard this before.’

“However, that has changed. We have succeeded in bridging the trust deficit between the government and the people in Oyo State. Having achieved this in Oyo State, we will, by the grace of God, replicate that success in Nigeria,” he added.

Makinde said his administration would prioritise job creation and economic expansion by moving Nigeria away from dependence on the sharing of federal allocations towards a productive economy capable of generating sustainable wealth and employment.

He also disclosed that his campaign had partnered with Skill Reset Nigeria to train one million young Nigerians in skills aimed at improving their employability. He urged interested youths to register through SkillReset.com to benefit from the initiative.

The APM candidate criticised the country’s economic situation, questioning why the government continued to borrow despite claims of substantial foreign reserves and tax revenue collections.

“We are told that Nigeria has substantial foreign reserves and that the Nigerian Revenue Service has collected enough tax revenue, even surpassing its target for the year. Yet, despite these claims, the government still has to borrow money. How does that add up?” he asked.

Makinde said limited access to long-term financing and high interest rates were hindering industrial growth.

“One indication of an expanding economy is the availability of long-term financing. Right now, bankers can tell you that what we have are mainly short-term credit facilities intended for trading.

“You cannot expand manufacturing when businesses face interest rates of 25 per cent and cannot access long-term financing. These are two challenges we will address decisively,” he said.

He added that his proposed administration would tackle youth unemployment by encouraging entrepreneurship and creating a business environment that would enable enterprises to thrive.

“We will tackle youth unemployment by encouraging entrepreneurship because entrepreneurs are the ones who can create sustainable jobs. That is exactly what we will do. We will create a conducive business environment across the country to enable businesses to thrive,” he said.

The APM vice-presidential candidate, Lawal Daura, said Nigeria must address widespread hunger, deprivation and insecurity, warning that democracy could not thrive where politics was militarised and security politicised.

Daura said he and Makinde were committed to addressing Nigerians’ hardship through their proposed 16-point agenda, adding that the country needed selfless and competent leadership.

“The solution to Nigeria’s many problems lies in addressing the challenges confronting our country today. We are well travelled and have lived in different places.

“We have seen and experienced life not only in Europe but also across Africa. We understand the challenges Nigerians are facing, and we know that no nation can continue to endure widespread hunger and deprivation,” he said.