ABUJA, Nigeria — The presidential campaign organisation of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has urged President Bola Tinubu to abandon his 2027 re-election bid and allow a younger generation to take over, questioning his physical capacity to cope with the demands of the presidency.
The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO), which is campaigning for Makinde as the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), argued that Nigeria needs a leader with the energy, stamina and commitment to provide effective governance.
Its Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa, made the position known in Abuja on Sunday while reacting to Tinubu’s recent foreign trips, including his latest visit to Mecca for prayers, weeks after returning from a vacation in France.
According to Nigerian Tribune, Ihediwa questioned the President’s ability to withstand the demands of political campaigns and governance, alleging that he travelled to Mecca after delivering what he described as a brief and incoherent speech at the APC presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna last week.
“President Tinubu is no longer strong. He does not have the stamina to continue in office. It’s a natural tendency. All of us wish and pray to grow old, but we cannot continue to insist on holding office even when we no longer have the capacity, capability and stamina to effectively perform in the office,” he said.
He argued that the presidency was too demanding to be treated as a retirement position, insisting that the country needed younger leadership.
“The Presidency is not a retirement home. It is a very demanding office that requires a lot of stamina,” Ihediwa said.
The campaign spokesman further alleged that Nigeria had experienced a decline in governance over the past three and a half years because, in his assessment, Tinubu had been unable to provide the physical leadership required to drive the country.
He also questioned the President’s capacity to engage with emerging technologies and the aspirations of younger Nigerians.
Ihediwa urged Tinubu to step aside in favour of Makinde, whom he described as experienced, prepared and energetic enough to work round the clock to deliver on his promises.
He said Nigeria needed a president capable of travelling extensively across the country, interacting directly with citizens and remaining actively involved in governance, including working into the early hours of the morning.
The spokesman claimed that Makinde, his running mate, Lawal Daura, and other members of the campaign organisation had received enthusiastic receptions during engagements across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
He consequently appealed to Nigerians to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and vote against Tinubu in 2027 if the President refused to withdraw from the race.
On the Federal Government’s proposed monthly N50,000 payments to vulnerable households under the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention, Ihediwa dismissed the initiative as an attempt to influence voters.
He argued that the financial intervention would not change public opinion or prevent the APC from losing the 2027 presidential election.
“Such panic-driven financial measures cannot save President Tinubu and the APC from defeat,” he said.
Ihediwa also cited the APC’s alleged defeat in the Osun State governorship election and what he described as the poor turnout at the party’s Kaduna campaign flag-off, despite claims of substantial spending on mobilisation.
He alleged that more than N2tn was spent to mobilise people for the Kaduna event, but the exercise still failed to attract the expected response.
The MDPCO spokesman maintained that Nigerians remained determined to vote Tinubu out in January 2027.
