Gov steps up APM campaign across South-West, meets guber candidates
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has said that he will not assume the role of a political godfather to any politician, including the governorship candidate of his party.

Makinde stated this yesterday at the Oyo State Hijrah 1448/2026 luncheon held at the State Banquet Hall, Government House, Agodi, Ibadan.

The governor said that any candidate elected on the platform of his party would be accountable to the people of Oyo State and not to him, stressing that leadership should be driven by responsibility and service rather than personal allegiance.

Makinde, who hosted Muslim faithful, traditional rulers, government officials and Islamic clerics from across the state to mark the Islamic New Year, said he attended the event despite commencing his yearly leave because of his desire to appreciate the Muslim community for its support for his administration.

He, however, urged residents of the state to demand clear programmes and commitments from all those seeking to govern the state, rather than voting based on personal loyalty or political affiliations.

Makinde, who also challenged his political opponents to tell the people what they would do differently if elected, rather than concentrating on discrediting the achievements of his administration, urged the electorate to scrutinise the programmes and policies of governorship candidates and choose leaders capable of promoting development, peace and prosperity in the state.

The Deputy Governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Muftau Open Salawu, in his welcome address, appreciated the Muslim community for its support for the administration and pledged that the party would sustain and expand existing developmental initiatives if elected.

Meanwhile, Makinde, who is the presidential candidate of the APM, yesterday, began moves to position the South-West as a major electoral stronghold of the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He, however, met with the governorship candidates of the party from the South-West geopolitical zone as part of efforts to strengthen the party’s structures and coordinate its grassroots mobilisation across the region.

The meeting brought together the APM governorship candidate in Oyo State, Bimbo Adekanmbi; his Lagos counterpart, Laja Adeoye; the Ogun State candidate, Rotimi Babajide, as well as the party’s governorship candidate from Osun State.

The meeting was said to have focused on the need for greater coordination among the candidates, strengthening the party’s structures and developing a common grassroots strategy ahead of the 2027 elections.

However, Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has publicly endorsed Makinde’s presidential aspiration, while APM members in Osun State have also declared their support for his candidacy.