Triple governors’ visit sparks fresh speculation about opposition coalition ahead of presidential polls
Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State; Kayode Fayemi, former governor of Ekiti; and Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former governor of Osun, visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday at his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State, in what appears to be a strategic political move ahead of the 2027 general election.
Makinde announced the meeting in a brief Facebook post, stating that the discussions focused on “important national issues” in view of the upcoming election.
“Earlier today, we visited Baba, His Excellency Chief Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR in Abeokuta,” Makinde wrote. “We appreciate Baba for his wise counsel at this crucial time in our nation’s history.”
The meeting comes just months after Makinde formally declared his intention to run for president in 2027. In May, at a joint mega rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Ibadan, the Oyo governor declared that “the time to reset Nigeria is now.”
He criticised the current administration, saying the country’s situation had “continued to deteriorate, putting the majority of Nigerians on survival mode on a daily basis.”
While Oyinlola is a PDP chieftain and Fayemi remains a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), political observers believe the cross-party meeting signals possible realignments ahead of 2027.
Makinde is expected to contest the election against a crowded field that includes former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC); Peter Obi, flagbearer of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC); and President Bola Tinubu, who is seeking re-election for a second term.
Obasanjo has not publicly declared his preferred candidate for 2027, though he is widely believed to be backing Obi’s ambition. The former president recently stirred controversy by alleging that Atiku gave the late Ghali Umar Na’Abba N5 million to begin impeachment proceedings against him during his first term — a claim Atiku dismissed as fabricated to favour Obasanjo’s kinsman ahead of the elections.
The Abeokuta meeting has fuelled fresh speculation about opposition coalition-building, with all eyes on Obasanjo’s next move as the 2027 race gathers momentum.
