Makinde dares 2027 presidential hopefuls to prove their stamina

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has challenged presidential hopefuls in the 2027 election to demonstrate their physical fitness and stamina, arguing that Nigerians should consider candidates’ energy and ability to withstand the demands of the presidency.

Makinde, the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), issued the challenge on Thursday at the South-West town hall meeting of the Makinde/Daura campaign organisation in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

He said he would not make age a central issue in the presidential contest but would rather focus on the energy and capacity of the candidates.

To illustrate his point, the governor jumped off the stage and challenged other presidential hopefuls to perform the same feat.

“When they bring their presidential candidate, let the candidate come here and also jump down,” he said. “If they can do that, vote for them.”

Makinde also defended his decision to contest the presidency despite President Bola Tinubu, who is also from the South-West, seeking re-election in 2027.

He argued that the presence of two presidential candidates from the same region should not be a source of concern, citing the 1999 election in which former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae contested against each other.

“In 1999, the entire Nigeria ceded the presidency to the South-West, and we had two of our fathers, Baba President Obasanjo and Baba Olu Falae, contest the presidency, both from the South-West. And heaven did not fall,” he said.

According to him, presenting multiple candidates from the region gives Nigerians the opportunity to choose between competing political visions.

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“As a matter of fact, what the South-West did was to present two of its finest, two of its best, for Nigeria to choose from. Is there anything wrong with us this time around?” he asked.

The governor urged residents of the South-West to reject what he described as the politics of deceit, while accusing the Tinubu administration of wasting taxpayers’ money.

He specifically criticised Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, over his reported trip from New York to Abuja to present the UN budget to Tinubu.

Makinde questioned the necessity of the journey, arguing that the federal government had yet to provide clarity on the national budget currently being implemented.

“Well, they can waste the taxpayers’ money, but I refuse to agree that you must use the taxpayers’ money to fly from New York to Abuja to present the UN budget when, indeed, this is an administration where, right now, we don’t know which budget they are operating on for Nigeria,” he said.

He questioned whether the country was operating the 2023, 2024, 2025 or 2026 budget, describing the reported presentation of the UN budget against that backdrop as troubling.

Makinde’s remarks add to the political debate ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with the governor positioning his candidacy as an alternative to the incumbent administration.