2027: If they can jump down, vote for them, Makinde tells supporters
Oyo State Governor and 2027 presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, Seyi Makinde, has challenged his opponents to demonstrate their physical stamina, jumping off a stage during a political gathering in…
Seyi Makinde, Governor of Oyo State since 2019 and a member of the Peoples Democratic Party at the state level, has in recent times been associated with presidential ambitions outside the mainstream PDP structure, with reports linking him to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) as a platform for a 2027 presidential run. Nigeria's 2027 general election is still some time away, but political jostling has already begun, with governors, senators and other officeholders testing messaging and loyalty among supporters ahead of the race to succeed the current administration.
The comments attributed to Makinde, urging supporters to judge candidates by their physical vigour, appear to have been made at a political gathering and were amplified after video clips circulated online. The coverage from Punch and Vanguard is consistent on the core remark — that Makinde dared opponents to match a physical feat, such as jumping off a stage, as an informal test of fitness for office — though neither report provides further detail on the specific event, venue, or date of the gathering, nor on which rivals, if any, he was referring to.