2027: Makinde’s rise rattles APC — PDP bloc

2026-03-23 - 16:14

...Claims pressure on governors as 2027 race brews By Luminous Jannamike The Conference of Professionals in the Peoples Democratic Party (CP-PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of growing uneasy over the rising national profile of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, ahead of the 2027 presidential election, alleging attacks and political pressure aimed at containing him. The group described Makinde as a rising national force within the PDP, and accused the APC of attempting to shape the contest early by weakening the opposition and controlling the narrative. The position was outlined by Barr. Obinna Nwachukwu, National Coordinator of the CP-PDP, spoke for the group. “The Conference of Professionals in the Peoples Democratic Party (CP-PDP) asserts that the imminently imploding All Progressives Congress (APC) is in mortal fear of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and the PDP ahead of the 2027 Presidential election,” the group said. The CP-PDP pointed to what it described as a pattern of political attacks, including recent comments by the Lagos APC, which it said reflect growing anxiety over Makinde’s rising influence. “These attacks further expose the pre-election fever within the APC over Governor Makinde’s rising nationwide profile and his acceptance as the face of the purposeful, prudent, and result-driven leadership that has eluded the nation, particularly in the last two years,” it stated. It also alleged that the APC has been putting pressure on opposition governors to defect. “It is instructive to state that such unguarded statements confirm reports that the APC intimidated, harassed, and offered billions of naira to state governors to defect. “The APC is now in mortal fear of Governor Makinde due to his principled resistance to these underhanded tactics,” the group alleged. The CP-PDP also referred to recent speculation about Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, describing the rumours as politically motivated. “Recent statements by the APC reveal that the party was behind the false reports suggesting that Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State was decamping to the APC, rumours that collapsed like a deck of cards following the Bauchi Governor’s firm rebuttal,” it said. The group argued that the political tension is not happening in isolation. “If the APC truly cared for Nigerians, it would be concerned with the bombing that claimed many lives in Maiduguri, Borno State, and the senseless killings in Kwara, Kaduna, Taraba, Benue, Niger, and other states of the federation. “It should be concerned about the insufferable hardship which has worsened with the increase in the official pump price of fuel, from N97 per litre inherited in 2015 to N1,300 today,” it added. According to the CP-PDP, fear of electoral backlash is driving attempts to weaken opposition parties ahead of the next general election. “The truth is that the fear of wholesale rejection by Nigerians explains why the APC is desperate to destabilise the PDP and other opposition parties to prevent them from fielding credible presidential candidates. This scheme is dead on arrival,” it stated. “The PDP remains a strong rallying point for the majority of Nigerians who are determined to defend multi-party democracy and hand the APC a resounding defeat in 2027,” it added. The group urged the ruling party to shift focus from political battles to governance. Vanguard News