Oyo State Governor Engineer Seyi Makinde has blown open the opposition’s 2027 game plan — confirming he is in active talks with Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi over a grand alliance to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and declaring he is ready to step aside or step up, depending on what the data says.
In a revealing interview with ARISE News anchor Ojy Okpe, monitored by Veracity Desk (veracitydesk.com) Makinde made it clear: the opposition is no longer just talking — it is negotiating.
“We’re still discussing,” he said. “Not only that I’m open, we’re actively discussing this.”
Pressed on whether he would prefer Atiku or Obi, Makinde refused to play favourites. For him, sentiment must give way to strategy.
“To arrive at a decision, you need data,” he insisted.
“We just won’t say, ‘Oh, okay,’ take emotional decision and say, ‘Oh, it’s you.’ We have manifestos now, we have certain things in that manifesto. We will sit down, we have maybe historical performance. We also have the sentiment of the people. All of those things will come together and arrive at a decision.”
Drawing from his years in the oil and gas industry, the governor explained that rivals can become partners when the prize demands it.
In business, he said, companies in the same field can compete in one deal, collaborate in another, or become client and contractor — all depending on what it takes to develop the asset.
Politics, he argued, is no different.
“Depending on what we see between now and the election time, we may be rivals, we may be collaborators, we may be — one may be the client of the other.”
Asked if he was truly prepared for such a sacrifice in his quest to “reset Nigeria,” Makinde did not hesitate:
“To reset Nigeria, yes.”
When Okpe asked specifically if he would work with Atiku if the data showed the former Vice President was the strongest candidate to rally around, his answer was blunt:
“Yes. I’m willing to work with any Nigerian.”
Makinde warned that regional strength alone cannot win the presidency — recalling how Olu Falae swept the South-West in 1999 but failed to secure national victory.
“Our biggest challenge is, first, to agree on what is the best course of action, and then seek an alliance,” he said.
He cited South Africa’s history of political cooperation as proof that rivals can negotiate for the greater good.
“That negotiation will not be anything personal,” Makinde said. “That negotiation will be the deal for Nigeria, by Nigeria.”
For Makinde, 2027 is not APC versus PDP, or APC versus Labour Party — it is APC versus Nigerians who want a new direction. And personal ambition, he insists, must not stand in the way of a common strategy to win.
