Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, speaking on Arise Television, says he is open to working with opposition figures including Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar to “reset” Nigeria ahead of the 2027 presidential election, but he rules out any alliance with President Bola Tinubu. He says discussions with Atiku and Obi are ongoing despite the limited time before the election, and he argues that opposition leaders should be able to support one another in different ways.
Several outlets also report Makinde recounting earlier interactions with Atiku and his own rationale for past decisions. Vanguard says Makinde was approached to run alongside Atiku in 2023 but declined, citing that he had only served three years as governor at the time. Other coverage links Makinde’s push for opposition unity to his criticism of Tinubu, with Punch and Vanguard reporting that Makinde accuses Tinubu of breaking a 2023 unity agreement and of prioritising political power over national unity.
Across the reports, the common thread is Makinde’s stance against working with Tinubu while he explores cooperation among opposition leaders ahead of 2027, with additional emphasis on his prior 2023 discussions and his complaints about Tinubu’s conduct.
