2027: We were discouraged entering Peter Obi’s stronghold – Makinde

The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, Seyi Makinde, has said his team was almost discouraged from taking its campaign to the South-East because of the perception that the region belongs entirely to Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Makinde, however, said the warning would not stop him from taking his party’s message to the South-East ahead of the 2027 general election.

He made the remarks on Thursday at the APM Town Hall Meeting in Enugu, where he urged Nigerians to reject what he described as visions that divide the country along tribal lines.

“We were almost discouraged we were coming to Peter Obi’s region that the South-East belongs to him totally, but we will still bring our message anyways. Reject all visions across tribal lines,” Makinde said.

The APM presidential candidate’s remarks come amid political realignments and growing efforts by presidential hopefuls to consolidate support across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones ahead of the 2027 elections.

Obi, who secured substantial support in the South-East during the 2023 presidential election, remains a major political figure in the region.