The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation has dismissed the Allied Peoples Movement’s (APM) call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to step aside for its presidential candidate, Governor Seyi Makinde, describing the demand as premature.
Makinde is the APM’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election and has since commenced his campaign activities, including the launch of the party’s presidential campaign office in Abuja.
Reacting to the APM’s position, the Alli Campaign Organisation said the party should first demonstrate that it possesses the national political structure and electoral strength required to mount a serious presidential campaign.
In a statement, the organisation said it was “the height of political hallucination” for the APM to suggest that the presidency could be secured through press statements and political rhetoric rather than nationwide organisation and electoral support.
“Declaring an ambition is one thing; building the political structure required to prosecute a nationwide presidential election is another entirely,” the statement said.
It challenged the APM to disclose the extent of its electoral structures across the federation and demonstrate its capacity to contest effectively across the states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The organisation also argued that the party should have candidates for various elective positions in at least one-third of the country to demonstrate its seriousness.
Turning its attention to Makinde, the group said the governor still had political challenges to contend with in Oyo State despite his presidential ambition.
“More importantly, even Governor Seyi Makinde, whom the APM now parades as its presidential candidate, has serious political battles to fight in his home state of Oyo. In fact, he is gasping for breath politically in the state,” it said.
The organisation argued that a presidential aspirant should first demonstrate political strength in his home state.
“Charity, as the saying goes, begins at home,” it added.
Makinde declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidency on the APM platform in May, saying the alliance would field candidates from the presidency down to state assemblies.
The Alli organisation said the 2027 presidential election would ultimately be determined by voters rather than the volume of political statements issued by parties and campaign organisations.
It also contrasted Makinde’s APM platform with Tinubu’s APC, describing the latter as a party with an established nationwide organisation.
“The presidency of Nigeria is neither inherited nor surrendered on demand. It is contested for and determined by the Nigerian people at the ballot box,” the statement added.