When political onlookers gossip about Nigeria’s 2027 presidential race, certain names seem quite inevitable: they are the seasoned political warhorses, regular old-money dynasties, and the never tiring familiar faces from northern and southern strongholds. Rarely does anyone expect a relatively soft-spoken governor from Oyo State to enter the conversation so early, especially with a Yoruba man already residing in Aso Rock. However, against the odds and political traditions, Engr. Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde is consistently being mentioned in teases and serious political circles. His measured ascent, tactical quietness, and refusal to conform to the loud, tribalized politics of today have turned curiosity into real speculation: Could Seyi Makinde truly be Nigeria’s next President? Could this engineer-turned-governor realistically clinch the presidency?
Before adventuring into public office, Seyi Makinde has built a very impressive résumé in the private sector. He is that steeled engineer, as he studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Lagos, later sharpening his skills with programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Lagos Business School. He established and successfully ran Makon Engineering and Technical Services Ltd., a regional oil and gas servicing company. By his early forties, he had become a multimillionaire, providing employment across Nigeria’s energy sector.
However, Makinde’s heart beat beyond business. His earliest move into politics were rocky. He contested for the Oyo South Senatorial District seat in 2007 under the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and lost. Again, in 2011, he made a bid under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) but was edged out at the primaries. Unbothered, he aimed for the governorship in 2015 under the relatively unpopular Social Democratic Party (SDP) after internal PDP disagreements. Though he lost, his high-level campaign and growing influence established him as a serious political figure with real grassroots appeal, a man ready to fight long battles without the usual backing of political godfathers.
His real political breakthrough came in 2019. Returning to the PDP, he emerged as the party’s flagbearer “unchallenged” after the strategic withdrawal of other aspirants. The decision to unify behind him proved astute, as Makinde benefited from an unprecedented coalition of opposition forces, including the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) led by former Governor Rashidi Ladoja. Campaigning under the mantra of Omi Tuntun, Makinde placed himself as the face of change. His self-made success story, regular philanthropic gestures, and promise of a fresh leadership style echoed with a populace tired of the outgoing APC administration under the constituted authority of late Governor Abiola Ajimobi. Against formidable odds, Seyi Makinde convincingly defeated APC’s new boy, Adebayo Adelabu and was sworn in as Governor in 2019.
Makinde’s governance style has generally been rated positively among bystanders and citizens alike. In education, he declared free and quality education at primary and secondary levels, abolished the Ajimobi’s N3,000 education levies, and prioritized school infrastructure. In health, he upgraded over 200 Primary Healthcare Centres across the state. His infrastructural efforts connected rural economies to urban centers through road construction and rehabilitation, boosting trade and mobility.
Even on security, the establishment of the Amotekun Corps alongside other southwestern states proved his proactive spirit in addressing regional threats, even if it ruffled federal feathers. Meanwhile, under his watch, Oyo’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) also grew steadily without heavy new taxation,a rare feat in Nigerian governance.
However, challenges persist. Despite Amotekun’s creation, Oyo has periodically struggled with farmer-herder clashes, particularly in Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun. Perhaps most politically significant is his independent style, which has sometimes isolates him from traditional PDP heavyweights, earning him a reputation as a “reluctant” team player at the national level. Nevertheless, his landslide re-election victory in 2023, at a time when many PDP governors and other popular candidates fell, reaffirmed his formidable local support and political staying power.
The 2027 presidential gossips? It began shortly after his 2023 re-election, and they have since grown louder. His combination of youthful vigor (he will be 59 in 2027), good enough credentials, and nationalistic, less-tribal politics has made him largely attractive to groups seeking fresh alternatives to Nigeria’s usual political suspects. Again, Makinde’s role during the G5 Governors’ rebellion against Atiku Abubakar in 2022–2023 highlighted him as a man willing to challenge entrenched party structures without self-destructing. While the G5 did not achieve all its aims, it projected Makinde onto the national stage as a bold tactician, not merely a provincial governor. Think tanks, PDP youth coalitions, and some media houses now frequently float his name as one of the unexpected “dark horses” who could spring surprises in 2027.
What are his chances? before the primaries, Makinde’s strengths lie in his youthful energy, progressive image, and his at least financial independence, a trifecta few PDP candidates can boast. His appeal to southern Christians, combined with a relatively neutral acceptability in the North and East, places him uniquely. His self-made business background and clean governance record naturally endear him to Nigeria’s growing middle class and restless youth population. But at the end of the day, his popularity and money matters in the primary.
Yet, challenges cannot be underestimated. Makinde lacks deep roots in PDP’s national structure, a regular fallout from the G5 saga. Many traditional PDP power brokers remain wary of him, viewing him as a politically independent operator who may not be easily controlled. Furthermore, his brand is still far less known in rural northern Nigeria compared to household names like Atiku Abubakar, Bukola Saraki or even Aminu Tambuwal.
Recent political developments have further “sharpened” Makinde’s political identity. In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, He openly declared that he has the capacity to occupy the highest political office in the land. However, he stressed that the immediate focus should be on fixing the PDP, suggesting that even his personal ambition must take a backseat until the party’s structure is stabilized. His words were cautious but at least telling: “I don’t have any doubt that I have the capacity to occupy the highest office in this land and I have what it takes… but what I want to do right now, is it what Nigerians are asking for right now, is it what my party will say we should do? We don’t know; we still have a long time to go.”
This tension within the PDP became even more evident earlier this month when Makinde, alongside other PDP governors, rejected a rumoured coalition led by Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi aimed at unseating Tinubu. He stated that the PDP must put its house in order before contemplating alliances, separating himself from what many see as an Atiku-centric initiative. This stance, while asserting his independence, also risks further alienating key stakeholders within the party who are banking on broader coalitions to challenge the APC’s dominance in 2027. Again and again, his approach opens a double-edged sword: on one hand, it cements his image as a principled and self-reliant leader; on the other, it could separate him from power blocs consequential for securing the PDP ticket. “Nobody will set an agenda for me. I will set an agenda for myself,” Makinde boldly asserted, suggesting he would declare his intentions for 2027 only when the time and circumstances are right. What a stance?
Should Makinde emerge as the PDP’s flagbearer, his narrative could shift dramatically. He would represent a fresh start, a clear contrast to the aging, recycled figures that dominate Nigeria’s political arena. His clean record, governance style, and business credentials could also energize urban voters and a frustrated youth base eager for meaningful change.
Nevertheless, Makinde would face two daunting challenges: building powerful northern alliances and battling the entrenched APC machinery that scores of PDP members are cross carpeting to on a daily basis, especially if the ruling party again fields Tinubu or pivots to a strong northern candidate. He would also need to overcome the perception that, with a Yoruba man still in the Villa, another Yoruba presidency could appear politically insensitive unless he successfully rebrands himself as a truly pan-Nigerian figure.
Even more, there is no avoiding the elephant in the room: the current President, Bola Tinubu, is Yoruba. Nigerian political tradition often frowns upon back-to-back presidencies from the same ethnic bloc, especially in a multi-ethnic federation hungry for symbolic balance. Maybe not two terms yet? Makinde’s challenge would be to frame his candidacy not as a Yoruba continuity project, but as a complete rupture from the old establishment, a new Nigeria rising from the Southwest, with a leader not defined by ethnic chauvinism, but by a commitment to reform, fairness, and future-building.
From the papers, young Makinde possesses many of the raw materials needed for a successful presidential run: integrity, technocratic competence, political resilience, a youth-friendly image, and a clean governance record. His business background and governance style are attractive in a country increasingly dominated by young voters and frustrated by outdated leadership.
However, Nigerian presidential politics is not just about ideas, it is about very strong alliances, populism, coalitions, ethno-religious balancing, and brutal political machinery. His pathway to Aso Rock would require meticulous coalition-building, strategic northern alliances, and a bold rebranding of himself as the face of a united, reimagined Nigeria. He would also have to survive the PDP’s internal minefields, where loyalty often trumps merit.
Still, in a political period already brimming with uncertainty, one thing is sure: Nigeria’s 2027 story might just have a surprising chapter written by a quiet engineer from Oyo State. Who knows? If destiny has a sense of irony, it may yet be a man from Ibadan, not Lagos, who ultimately reshapes the future of Yoruba leadership in Nigeria’s highest office.
The journey, however, is still a long one. First, he must finish well as governor, settle any internal rifts at home, build coalitions gradually, and visit the most consequential political players before even thinking of the primaries. Many believe he can clinch the ticket. Do you?
Ogungbile Emmanuel Oludotun writes for Oyo Affairs
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