Makinde picks ex-DSS DG Daura as running mate, says choice will boost security

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has picked former Director-General of the Department of State Services, Lawal Daura, as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.

Makinde, who is the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, announced Daura’s selection on Thursday at the party’s national convention held at the Government House in Bauchi.

According to a statement by Dotun Oyelade, Oyo commissioner for information, Makinde said Daura was chosen because of his experience in security and the need to tackle the country’s worsening security challenges.

The governor also said his administration would prioritise efforts to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty, which he attributed partly to poorly implemented policies over the past three years.

Makinde said he would collaborate with politicians who share his vision to build a better Nigeria ahead of the 2027 elections.

He declared his presidential ambition on May 14 at a joint mega-rally of the Peoples Democratic Party and the APM in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

At the time, Makinde said his decision was driven by the need to “reset” Nigeria, stressing that the task was bigger than winning an election and that Nigerians deserved a genuine choice about the country’s future.

Daura served as DSS director-general from July 2015 to August 2018. He was removed from office after a controversial DSS operation at the National Assembly complex.

Before joining the APM, Daura was an African Democratic Congress governorship aspirant in Katsina State.

He resigned from the ADC on Sunday and announced plans to join the APM, citing alleged injustice and instability within the party.