The 2027 presidential bid of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has suffered a political setback in his home state after the recognised leadership of the Association of Mogajis in Ibadanland and the Ibadan Compound Peace Initiative (ICPI) disowned an alleged endorsement of his candidacy.
The rejection followed the circulation of a video in which individuals purportedly claiming to represent Mogajis and other stakeholders in Ibadanland declared support for Makinde, the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and Bimbo Adekanmbi, the party’s governorship candidate in Oyo State.
The recognised traditional and community leadership structures, however, said the declaration was unauthorised and did not represent the collective position of Ibadanland.
In a joint statement, the President of the Association of Mogajis in Ibadanland, Mogaji Asimiyu Ariori, and the Coordinator of the ICPI, Mogaji Dr Nurudeen Akinade, said their organisations were neither consulted nor involved in the purported endorsement.
Ariori said the Association of Mogajis, which he leads and which comprises more than 400 Mogajis, was not approached before the declaration was made.
The two leaders consequently urged Nigerians and residents of Oyo State to disregard the video, describing the purported endorsement as a “schematic drama and theatre”.
They further maintained that the declaration could not be regarded as an official position of Ibadanland because, according to them, the principal traditional and community institutions were not involved.
“The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Olubadan-in-Council and CCII, including all Baales in Ibadanland, don’t know anything about the endorsement,” they said.
The development comes as Makinde intensifies his campaign for the presidency under the APM ahead of the 2027 general election.
Makinde emerged as the APM’s presidential candidate after the party’s primary election in Ibadan, where he was presented with the party’s flag and Certificate of Return.
The governor has subsequently begun building a national campaign around his “Reset Nigeria” agenda, which focuses on economic development, transparency, security, governance and public accountability.
At the inauguration of the APM presidential campaign office in Abuja earlier this week, Makinde called for greater transparency across the petroleum value chain and argued that Nigerians should have greater visibility into how national resources are managed.
The APM has also unveiled a Makinde-Daura ticket, with former Director-General of the State Security Service, Lawal Musa Daura, as the presidential candidate’s running mate.
Despite the controversy surrounding the alleged Ibadan endorsement, Makinde has received public support from influential opposition figures.
Bauchi State Governor and APM National Leader, Bala Mohammed, recently warned against underestimating Makinde or dismissing the party’s chances in 2027.
Mohammed described Makinde as one of the strongest political talents produced by Nigeria and said the APM was determined to “reset Nigeria”.
More significantly, Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), attended the inauguration of Makinde’s APM presidential campaign office in Abuja and publicly affirmed that the Oyo governor was qualified to seek the presidency.
Obi also called for Nigerians to be allowed to freely choose their leaders through a credible electoral process, stressing that politicians should be prepared to work together in the national interest after the election.
Obi’s appearance at the APM campaign office has added further interest to the developing opposition landscape ahead of 2027, although his presence should not automatically be interpreted as a formal endorsement of Makinde’s candidacy.
The rejection by the Mogajis and the ICPI does not, by itself, determine Makinde’s electoral prospects in Oyo State or nationally. However, it represents an important political development because Ibadan remains a critical centre of political influence in the state.
For a presidential aspirant seeking to build a nationwide coalition, the ability to demonstrate broad support among influential traditional, community and grassroots structures in his home state could carry considerable symbolic and political weight.
The latest controversy therefore highlights one of the central challenges confronting Makinde as he moves beyond Oyo politics: transforming his record and political network at the state level into a sufficiently broad national coalition capable of competing against better-established presidential structures.
For now, the recognised Mogajis and the ICPI have drawn a clear line between the viral declaration and the official position of the traditional and community leadership they claim to represent.
Whether the controversy remains a temporary disagreement over representation or develops into a wider political challenge for Makinde in Oyo State will become clearer as the 2027 campaign gathers momentum.
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