“LET THE CANDIDATE COME AND JUMP DOWN” — MAKINDE’S STAMINA TEST FOR 2027 RIVALS

The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has thrown down a physical challenge to his rivals ahead of the 2027 election, daring them to jump off a stage to prove their stamina and declaring that Nigerians should vote for any candidate who can match the feat.

The moment occurred on Thursday at the South-West town hall meeting of the Makinde/Daura campaign organisation in Akure, Ondo State, where the Oyo State governor literally leaped off the platform to demonstrate his point .

THE CHALLENGE

Makinde said he would not make age an issue in the presidential contest but would rather focus on candidates’ physical energy and ability to cope with the demands of the office .

To drive the point home, he jumped off the stage and challenged other presidential candidates to do the same.

“When they bring their presidential candidate, let the candidate come here and also jump down,” he said. “If they can do that, vote for them” .The gesture was both political theatre and a subtle dig at his opponents, particularly those who are older or perceived to be less physically vigorous.

THE SOUTH-WEST ARGUMENT

Makinde also defended his decision to contest the presidency despite President Bola Tinubu, who is also from the South-West, seeking re-election in 2027.

He argued that the region’s support for a presidential candidate should not prevent other qualified candidates from the same geopolitical zone from contesting .

“I’ve listened to people who asked us why we are contesting in this election when the south-west already has somebody sitting on that seat, and I’ve explained to them that we have an example here in the south-west,” he said.

He cited the 1999 presidential election, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae, both from the South-West, contested against each other.

“In 1999, the entire Nigeria ceded the presidency to the South-West, and we had two of our fathers, Baba President Obasanjo and Baba Olu Falae, contest the presidency, both from the south-west. And heaven did not fall,” he said.

“As a matter of fact, what the south-west did was to present two of its finest, two of its best, for Nigeria to choose from. Is there anything wrong with us this time around?”.

THE ATTACK ON WASTE

Makinde also urged people in the South-West to reject what he described as the politics of deceit, accusing the Tinubu administration of wasting taxpayers’ money.

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He specifically criticised Jimoh Ibrahim, Nigeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, over his trip from New York to Abuja to present the UN budget to Tinubu.

The governor questioned the need for the trip, arguing that the Federal Government had yet to clarify which national budget it was implementing.

“Well, they can waste the taxpayers’ money, but I refuse to agree that you must use the taxpayers’ money to fly from New York to Abuja to present the UN budget when, indeed, this is an administration where, right now, we don’t know which budget they are operating on for Nigeria,” he said.

“Is it the 2023, 2024, 2025 or 2026 budget? And then they are coming with the UN budget to say, ‘Look, this is the UN budget’ “.

WHY IT MATTERS

Makinde’s decision to turn a political town hall into a physical fitness test is unconventional, but it reflects the strategic challenge he faces.

He is running against an incumbent President from his own region, in an election where the Tinubu administration will point to its record on infrastructure and its control of the national machinery.

By focusing on energy and stamina, Makinde is attempting to shift the conversation away from party structures and towards the personal qualities of the candidates.

Whether Nigerians will vote based on a candidate’s ability to jump off a stage remains to be seen. But Makinde has ensured that his campaign will not be ignored.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the 2027 presidential campaign is heating up, with Makinde positioning himself as a youthful, energetic alternative to the established order.