Peter Obi, the 2027 presidential candidate, has publicly endorsed Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who is also the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), describing him as qualified to lead Nigeria. Obi made the endorsement at the inauguration of the APM presidential campaign, where he called for political unity and inclusion ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi's Endorsement and Call for Unity
At the event, Obi said: "You have a candidate who is contesting for president today, my dear brother Martine. Is he qualified to be president? Yes." The former Anambra State governor framed the endorsement around the need to rescue ordinary Nigerians from economic hardship, stating that the country could no longer continue on its current path.
"Our people are hungry. Our people are poor," he said. He added: "Whoever wins genuinely from a free, fair, credible election, all of us wants to work together to save this country from collapse."
Obi's Vision for Nigeria
Obi stressed that the move was not driven by political desperation but by a genuine desire to give Nigerians the power to make their own choice. He called on political actors to abandon divisive policies and focus on lifting people out of poverty.
"Let our quadruple be to feed our people, to pull our people out," he said. "We want the Nigeria we are entitled to. Nobody can be somebody without knowing anybody."
Obi's Political Journey to 2027
Obi resigned from the African Democratic Congress on May 2, 2026, and was ratified as a presidential candidate for the 2027 elections on May 29, 2026. His decision to endorse Makinde marks a new and unexpected twist in the lead-up to what is shaping up to be a highly contested election cycle.
Previously, Legit.ng reported that hundreds of APM candidates in Oyo State took the party to court to block any attempt to rerun the primaries that produced them as the party's flag bearers for the forthcoming local government elections. The 33 chairmanship and 351 councillorship candidates, who emerged from primaries held across the state on August 3, 2026, filed the suit at the Federal High Court in Ibadan. They named the APM, its National Chairman, the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.
