DEAL CLOSE: Why Makinde is ready to work with Atiku

Atiku and Makinde’s camps have reportedly reached compromises in alliance talks, and Makinde says he will work with Atiku if the data shows he is the opposition’s strongest candidate.

Representatives of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde have held a series of meetings and reached compromises in negotiations for a possible alliance against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

The development, reported by Sunday PUNCH, comes as Makinde, the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, has openly declared his readiness to work with Atiku if the evidence shows the former vice-president is the strongest opposition candidate.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with ARISE News anchor Ojy Okpe, Makinde confirmed that talks were under way. “Not only that I’m open, we’re actively discussing this,” he said.

At the heart of Makinde’s position is a simple argument: who leads the opposition must be decided by evidence, not sentiment.

“To arrive at a decision, you need data,” he said.

“We just won’t say, ‘Oh, okay,’ take emotional decision and say, ‘Oh, it’s you.’ We have manifestos now, we have certain things in that manifesto. We will sit down, we have maybe historical performance. We also have the sentiment of the people. All of those things will come together and arrive at a decision.”

Okpe asked whether he would work with Atiku if the data showed the former vice-president was the strongest candidate for the opposition to coalesce around. Makinde replied: “Yes.”

“I’m willing to work with any Nigerian.”

Makinde’s openness also draws on a hard political lesson. He recalled that in the 1999 presidential election, Olu Falae performed overwhelmingly well in the South-West but could not translate regional strength into a national victory.

“Our biggest challenge is, first, to agree on what is the best course of action, and then seek an alliance,” he said.

His point is that strength in a single region cannot unseat an incumbent, and a partnership with a candidate who has wider national reach could close that gap.

Drawing on his oil and gas background, Makinde explained that companies working the same field could compete in one circumstance, collaborate in another, or enter a commercial relationship to develop an asset.

“Depending on what we see between now and the election time, we may be rivals, we may be collaborators, we may be — one may be the client of the other,” he said.

He also pointed to South Africa’s experience of political cooperation. “That negotiation will not be anything personal,” Makinde said. “That negotiation will be the deal for Nigeria, by Nigeria.”

Sunday PUNCH gathered from both camps that the chances of the two men working together were high. An APM candidate familiar with Makinde’s political movement said meetings, both virtual and physical, had been fruitful.

“What is on the ground shows that both parties have reached compromises and they are going to unveil that very soon,” he said.

Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, did not confirm a specific agreement with Atiku. Still, he explained the governor’s motivation: “As far as Governor Seyi Makinde is concerned, he is not averse to working directly with other opposition tendencies as long as there’s light at the end of the tunnel to end the unequalled sufferings of the masses, because he believes that the level of renewed poverty is absolutely needless.”

Even so, none of the sources disclosed the terms of the negotiations or how the parties would settle the presidential ticket. Atiku’s aide, Phrank Shaibu, and ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi confirmed ongoing consultations but not a deal between the two camps.

The two men also have a history to overcome. In 2023, Makinde was among the G-5 governors who worked against Atiku’s candidacy in the then Peoples Democratic Party.

With the election set for January 16, 2027, the coming weeks will show whether Makinde’s data-driven approach can turn two rivals into one ticket.

The camps of Atiku Abubakar and Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde have held a series of meetings and reached compromises towards a possible 2027 alliance against President Tinubu, Sunday PUNCH reports.

Makinde told ARISE News he would work with Atiku if data showed he was the strongest candidate. “To arrive at a decision, you need data,” he said. “I’m willing to work with any Nigerian.” No agreement has been announced yet.