South-West Coordinator of the Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Council, Olorogun Dr Eddy Olafeso, met APM candidates, state executives and local government leaders in Lagos on Friday to mobilise support for Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde’s 2027 presidential bid and to prepare the party’s structures for intensified campaigning in the region.
The closed-door session was held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall of the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja. It was attended by the APM Lagos governorship candidate, Prince Laja Adeoye; the party’s three senatorial candidates — Setonji Koshedo, Desmond Oludare Ojumu and Charles Adebayo Obadairu, as well as House of Representatives and State House of Assembly candidates. Also present were the Lagos APM state executives led by Mrs Bunmi Adeyemo, State Secretary Ms Halima Abdulrafiu, and local government chairmen under the forum chairman, Mr Olanrewaju Ayide. Other leaders at the meeting included Chief Tunji Adeyemo, Coker Magdalene and others.
The gathering followed a series of consultations Olafeso held the previous day with prominent Lagos figures, including Chief Olabode George, former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party; former Lagos State Deputy Governor Chief (Mrs) Kofo Bucknor-Akerele; Chief (Mrs) Aduke Maina; and Mrs Onikepo Oshodi. Those visits, confirmed in a statement by the Lagos APM, were aimed at briefing stakeholders and seeking broader support ahead of the formal launch of campaign activities across the South-West.
Addressing the candidates and party officials, Olafeso said the 2027 elections would not be “business as usual” and that the campaign council was prepared for a nationwide effort. He briefed the meeting on the planned South-West presidential town hall scheduled for October 21 and 22 in Akure, the Ondo State capital, and urged members to mobilise supporters for the event. He argued that the South-West should back “their performing son,” citing Makinde’s record in Oyo State and calling for him to be given a larger national role.
Makinde is the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), with former Director-General of the Department of State Services, Lawal Daura, as his running mate. The ticket is campaigning under a “RESET Nigeria” agenda, which organisers describe as an alternative focused on practical reforms in security, the economy, agriculture and public confidence. The campaign has already held zonal town halls, including one in Lafia for the North-Central zone, and its National Campaign Management Committee is headed by former Minister of State for Aviation Felix Hassan Hyat.
In his remarks, Adeoye called on candidates and leaders to maintain unity of purpose and to intensify work in their constituencies with the aim of delivering what he described as unprecedented votes for the party in Lagos. The session closed with remarks from the deputy governorship candidate, Mrs Kemi Adenuga.
Laja Adeoye, a top three candidate statewide, who emerged as the APM consensus governorship candidate and was among the earliest flag-bearers uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission portal for Lagos, is running on a policy outline tagged “Atunto Eko,” The Rest Lagos agenda, the Re Engineering of Lagos for inclusive prosperity, covering housing, healthcare, jobs, power, transportation and security across the state’s local government areas and local council development areas. Makinde had earlier met South-West APM governorship candidates, including Adeoye, in August to coordinate mobilisation strategies for the region.
The Lagos meeting forms part of ongoing efforts by the Makinde/Daura campaign organisation to consolidate support among both APM structures and wider political stakeholders as preparations for the 2027 general elections continue.
