The crisis rocking the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has taken a dramatic turn as state chairmen of the party in the South-South geopolitical zone, alongside governorship and National Assembly candidates, have disowned the party’s presidential candidate, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, accusing him of undermining established party structures and treating the platform as a personal political vehicle.
In a strongly-worded resolution published in Vanguard on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the South-South APM chairmen declared a vote of no confidence in Makinde, accusing him of running his presidential campaign without recognising established leadership structures in the states and failing to accord party leaders the consultation, respect and recognition they deserve.
The resolution was signed by the APM state chairmen in Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Delta and Cross River states: Dagogo C. Whyte, Hon. Pst. Mrs Peace Onuama, Uduak Akanyene Edet, Ugiagbe Charles Ogierakhi, Prince Henry J. E. Eze (JP) and Ntami Nkanu Esegbe, respectively.
The party leaders said their decision followed deliberations on the state of affairs within the party and its relationship with the presidential candidate, stressing that their concerns were rooted in the need to protect internal democracy, institutional integrity, unity and organisational discipline within the APM.
The resolution represents a significant political setback for Makinde, whose emergence as the party’s presidential candidate was expected to strengthen the APM’s national profile ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The South-South leaders, however, painted a different picture of the governor’s relationship with the party, accusing him of sidelining its established hierarchy and concentrating on his presidential ambition at the expense of the structures that had been built across the country.
“We have realised that our Presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde lacks substance, the political will and focus to lead us aright as a Presidential candidate,” the statement declared.
The chairmen further alleged that Makinde entered the APM from a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) they described as politically weakened, only to proceed with his presidential campaign without adequately recognising the party’s established structures.
According to them, the governor had planted coordinators of his presidential campaign across the 36 states from outside the APM, a development they said raised questions about his commitment to the party and the contributions of its existing members.
They accused him of treating the APM as a platform for advancing his personal ambition rather than as an institution governed by its constitution, established procedures and recognised leadership structures.
“APM is not a trading company,” the leaders declared, insisting that the party must not be reduced to a political commodity for individual ambition.
The resolution also accused Makinde of making promises to party members that, in their assessment, had not been fulfilled, raising questions about his credibility and his ability to provide the leadership the party requires ahead of the 2027 elections.
The South-South chairmen insisted that whoever emerges as the party’s presidential candidate must operate within its established framework and maintain constructive relationships with national, zonal, state, local government and ward structures.
They warned that the party hierarchy must not be treated as an appendage of an individual politician, arguing that its leadership remains essential to preserving the APM’s identity, coordinating grassroots mobilisation and sustaining organisational discipline.
In a further demonstration of their position, the leaders called for the recognition of the contributions and responsibilities of party members who had invested time, resources and political capital in building the APM across the South-South zone.
They maintained that leadership must be accompanied by accountability, consultation and mutual respect, warning against what they described as political high-handedness capable of destabilising the party.
Despite their strong opposition to Makinde’s approach, the South-South chairmen expressed confidence in the national leadership of the APM under its National Chairman, Alhaji Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, and passed a separate vote of confidence in him, urging the National Working Committee to continue strengthening the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
They also passed a vote of confidence in Senator Bala Mohammed, Governor of Bauchi State, commending his leadership.
The statement added that the South-South chairmen would reconvene at an appropriate time to take a decision on the presidential election, warning that the Niger Delta must not be allowed to become a pawn in the hands of political opportunists.
