The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, on Monday, attended the inauguration of the campaign office of his Allied Peoples Movement (APM) counterpart, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State in Abuja.
Adding momentum to the opposition coalition gathering, Obi, who is a guest speaker, said that Makinde is fully qualified to contest the presidency.
“Whoever wins, genuinely, from a free, fair and credible election, we all want to work together to save this country from collapse,” Obi stated, emphasising the urgent need to address widespread poverty and insecurity.
He further rallied political actors to change the country’s toxic political culture by centering governance entirely around public welfare and equity.
”Let our quarrel be to feed our people, let our quarrel be to pull our people out of poverty.
“We want a Nigeria where a child of nobody can be somebody without knowing anybody,” Obi declared.
Also speaking, the National Leader of the APM, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, warned Nigerians against underrating the party and its candidate, Makinde, ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Whoever disregards us is at his own peril, we are here to reset Nigeria and we are bringing in one of the best human capitals that Nigeria has ever produced at the sub-national and national level, Makinde,” he said.
He described Makinde as an engineer par excellence, and somebody who used little resources and did so much.
“Where there was active negligence, he brought urban renewal to a level that nobody has ever done,” he said.
Underscoring the core philosophy driving the coalition’s campaign, Mohammed stressed unity, accountability, and the overriding priority of national interest.
”Our motto is Nigeria first and Nigeria is what is in our mind, it is with Nigeria that we sleep, and it is with Nigeria that we wake up.”
He urged Nigerians to seize the opportunity to build a country where everyone could actualise their aspirations.
Opposition political parties on April 25, in Ibadan, made a commitment to unite behind a single presidential candidate to challenge the ruling party.
In his speech, Mr Lawal Daura, the APM Vice-Presidential Candidate, said the party will expose ‘liars and grandstanders’ if smear campaigns persisted.
Daura emphasised that the party is focused on serious governance to benefit all citizens rather than treating national leadership as a joke.
”Makinde and myself are not here for a ride, and we are not taking Nigeria for a joke.
“We are here for serious business,” Daura said.
He also urged political actors to compete fairly by marketing their competencies rather than resorting to mudslinging.
“Whenever someone has something to sell, it does not really make sense to destroy another person who may be having a similar product to sell,” he added.
