Atiku Abubakar and Seyi Makinde Near Strategic Alliance for 2027 Presidential Election

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde are nearing a strategic alliance ahead of the 2027 presidential election. According to findings reported by Sunday PUNCH, representatives of both leaders have reached critical compromises following a series of closed-door negotiations. These bilateral talks between the African Democratic Congress (ADC) flagbearer and the Oyo State governor, who currently holds the presidential ticket of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), are operating independently of wider opposition consultations.

Governor Makinde has emerged as a vocal critic of the Tinubu administration, having hosted an opposition summit at the Government House in Ibadan on April 25 to explore unifying opposition forces. While that broader summit has yet to yield a single flagbearer, as Atiku, Makinde, and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate Peter Obi continue to pursue separate presidential campaigns, the direct engagement between Atiku and Makinde has gained significant traction.

During an interview on Arise News on Friday, Governor Makinde confirmed that consultations with both Atiku and Obi remain active. He noted that the outcome of these data-driven discussions would determine whether the opposition heavyweights run against each other or merge their political structures. Makinde stated, “Depending on what we see between now and the election time, we may be rivals; we may be collaborators. One may be the client of the other.”

Sources within both camps indicate that virtual and physical meetings held over recent weeks have been fruitful. A South-West chieftain of the ADC described the engagements as purposeful and promising, hinting that the formal unveiling of the alliance would occur prior to the January 16, 2027 presidential election. Similarly, an APM insider confirmed that both sides have settled key differences and are preparing to announce a unified working arrangement.

Responding to the developments, Oyo State Commissioner for Information Dotun Oyelade affirmed that Governor Makinde is engaging with seasoned opposition politicians to chart a realistic path forward for the country. Oyelade explained, “As far as Governor Seyi Makinde is concerned, he is not averse to working directly with other opposition tendencies as long as there’s light at the end of the tunnel to end the unequalled sufferings of the masses, because he believes that the level of renewed poverty is absolutely needless.”

National spokespersons for both Atiku and the ADC maintained that broader coalition talks remain open across party lines. ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi stated that all opposition parties continue to communicate, while Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, emphasized that the former vice-president is actively engaging leaders across the divide to build a common front capable of restoring affordable living standards.

These bilateral negotiations unfold alongside wider coalition initiatives driven by groups such as the G-100, a political pressure movement convened by former Progressives Governors’ Forum Director-General Salihu Lukman. The G-100 has consistently lobbied Atiku, Obi, and Makinde to collapse their individual ambitions into a single platform, warning that a fractured opposition will struggle to dislodge the APC’s entrenched electoral machinery.

Key points

• Atiku Abubakar and Seyi Makinde are nearing a strategic alliance to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.