Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement presidential candidate Seyi Makinde and Bauchi State Governor and APM National Leader Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed have reaffirmed their commitment to repositioning the party as a credible national platform, while the APM confirmed it has opened talks with sitting senators, House of Representatives members and other political figures about possible defections ahead of the 2027 general election.
The two governors, the only sitting state chief executives elected on the APM platform, held closed door talks in Bauchi on security, governance, inter governmental collaboration and the party’s future during Makinde’s consultation visit, accompanied by APM National Chairman Yusuf Mamman Dantalle. Makinde called consulting Mohammed a no brainer, saying that before running to anyone else with a challenge, he runs to someone he knows is of the same stock as himself, and said security dominated the discussions, with Bauchi’s experience offering practical lessons he plans to try in Oyo State. The two also reviewed the state of the party and Nigeria’s democratic journey, with Makinde stressing that the APM intends to offer Nigerians a credible alternative built on constructive engagement rather than political hostility, recalling his own 2019 victory as an opposition candidate in Oyo State despite the ruling party’s dominance at every other level of government as proof that the electorate’s will cannot be suppressed. He described the nation’s political atmosphere as toxic but expressed optimism Nigeria is approaching a new chapter, and on insecurity specifically argued that state governors are too often held accountable for security situations without holding the constitutional authority needed to respond decisively, pledging that an APM led federal government would reform the security architecture to align responsibility with actual power.
Mohammed described the visit as a continuation of the peer review culture among governors, where leaders exchange ideas and borrow best practices to tackle shared challenges, praising Makinde’s record on infrastructure and public service delivery, saying visitors to Oyo would barely recognise it as the same city given its new roads and airport. He said the APM is steadily emerging as Nigeria’s next major opposition party, driven by competent leadership and a commitment to national development, and that the party intends to distinguish itself through mature leadership and policy driven campaigns, arguing it has the knowledge and human capital to deliver if given the opportunity.
The defection talks became concrete the same week, as Senator Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo formally defected from the African Democratic Congress to the APM during Senate plenary, later received at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja by Dantalle and other party leaders. Sequel to enquiries from our teeming members and supporters, the party confirmed, the APM is holding talks with serving senators, House of Representatives members and other like minded political leaders nationwide who wish to join ahead of 2027, describing Onawo as a grassroots politician with an extensive public service record, having served two terms as Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, two terms in the House of Representatives and now as senator representing Nasarawa South, a record the party said reflects the values it seeks to promote.
