Makinde, Ex-Intelligence Chief Daura Team Up for APM 2027 Challenge

The Allied People's Movement has put forward Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde as its presidential standard-bearer ahead of the 2027 general election, naming former State Security Service Director-General Lawan Musa Daura to run alongside him. At Thursday's national convention held in Bauchi State, the party unveiled this ticket as embodying both executive governance competence and intelligence security expertise to contest against the ruling All Progressives Congress.

From 2015 until 2018, Daura headed Nigeria's domestic intelligence agency. The APM's campaign strategy treats this pairing as a deliberate answer to the nation's pressing security threats, with party officials emphasizing that Daura's intelligence operations background strengthens Makinde's record in state administration.

Party officials have begun articulating public positions regarding the ticket's electoral viability. In the aftermath of the Osun State governorship election, the APM's National Publicity Secretary Yusuf Abubakar remarked that opposition performance in that contest—notably in a region traditionally linked to President Tinubu—reflects mounting discontent with APC governance.

The party viewed the Osun result as an indicator that voters may turn against the incumbent political establishment when unhappy with its performance. Makinde currently serves his second and final term as Oyo's governor.

In the forthcoming 2027 presidential contest among various parties and candidates, the APM ticket now formally participates following this convention announcement. By selecting Daura, the opposition coalition seeks to align security expertise with state-level executive experience in mounting their challenge to the sitting administration.