The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the presidential ambition of Governor Seyi Makinde as “dead on arrival,” accusing the governor of abandoning his responsibilities in the state to pursue personal political interests ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The opposition party made its position known in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, and made available to journalists on Sunday.

The reaction followed the emergence of Seyi Makinde as the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) for the 2027 presidential election.

DAILY POST gathered that the APM formally presented its presidential flag to Makinde during an event held on Saturday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Responding to the development, the APC alleged that the governor had shifted attention away from governance in Oyo State in pursuit of his presidential ambition.

The party argued that Makinde had failed to meet the expectations of residents over the past seven years and therefore lacked the credentials to seek the nation’s highest office.

According to the APC, the governor should focus on addressing the numerous challenges confronting the state rather than engaging in presidential politics.

The party maintained that Makinde, as the chief executive of Oyo State, remains constitutionally empowered to tackle the problems facing the state and has no justification for neglecting those responsibilities.

“Certainly, Gov. Makinde’s presidential ambition is dead on arrival, but our fear is about the amount of losses, deprivation and wastefulness which the good people of the state would be subjected to in the next one year under his leadership,” the statement read.

The APC further stated that the people of Oyo State deserved “a team player, a sincere and humble person” as governor, alleging that Makinde had failed to demonstrate such qualities during his time in office.

“Since Makinde has failed to demonstrate these qualities in the last seven years, he should just apologise and quit the state,” the party added.

The governor and the APM had not issued any official response to the APC’s remarks as of the time of filing this report.