Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has expressed confidence in his ability to lead Nigeria as president come 2027.
During an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Makinde shared that his achievements go beyond just serving as a state governor.
“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.”
He went on to explain that although he believes he is capable, other factors must be considered. “But is it what I want to do right now? Is it what Nigerians are asking for? Is it what my party will say we should do? I don’t know. We still have a long time to go.
“Where we are right now is, you know, we must fix our party. You must have a platform for you to even aspire to be anything.”
Makinde also made it clear that he is charting his own political course, distancing himself from superficial tactics.
“Right now, I am focusing on what people have given to me, the task ahead of us, and so I’m not distracted, and I will not play stunt politics.
“I will not do things because, well, it feels right in some people’s ears. No, we will do things, we will stay focused to ensure that we bring dividends of democracy to our people.”
He stressed that any political aspiration he pursues would be based on thorough planning and a sense of duty.
“One thing you should expect from Seyi Makinde is that he will never come out to say, look, I want to do this, do X, Y, Z without preparation and without being held accountable for whatever it is that I say I want to do.”
Reflecting on his political journey, the governor said he is content with how far he has come.
“If my political journey ends right here, I am also very happy. When I joined politics in 2007, I wanted to go to the Senate. I wanted to be a senator.
“But now, not only have I achieved more than that by being the governor of my state, I’ve also cherished the opportunity that people gave to me to make my own little difference.”