Oyo State chieftain of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Alhaji Adebisi Olopoeyan, has criticised Governor Seyi Makinde over his jumping display at the party’s South-West Town Hall meeting in Akure, Ondo State, describing the performance as childish, unnecessary and a demonstration of misplaced campaign priorities.
Olopoeyan, who reacted to the governor’s remarks at the event, questioned the wisdom behind using physical stunts and apparent mockery of President Bola Tinubu as a yardstick for determining who deserves Nigerians’ votes in the 2027 presidential election.
The APM chieftain argued that the presidency is an institution that shouldn’t be reduced to a contest of physical agility, insisting that Nigerians needed candidates who could articulate practical solutions to the country’s economic, security and developmental challenges rather than engage in theatrical displays.
Makinde had performed the jumping stunt at the APM South-West Town Hall meeting held at the Ondo State International Conference Centre, popularly known as The Dome, in Akure, where he challenged other presidential candidates to demonstrate similar energy.
Addressing participants at the gathering, the governor said: “We are in the South-West, my zone, and we are here in Akure, my home also. While I will not make age an issue of this campaign, I will make energy.”
He added that candidates should demonstrate their ability to stay up late, withstand the rigours of office and tackle Nigeria’s challenges, before asking the audience to withhold their votes from candidates unable to jump like him.
Reacting, however, Olopoeyan dismissed the argument as a poor attempt to turn a serious national conversation into a spectacle, questioning whether jumping was now the standard for assessing presidential competence.
“Is Aso Rock a fighting ground? Are we electing a wrestler or a president who understands the problems of Nigeria and has the capacity to solve them?” Olopoeyan asked.
He added: “I think that comment was too childish. At his level, and as a sitting governor, he should know better than to reduce a presidential campaign to a jumping competition.
“You behave childishly when you think that jumping before an audience is enough to convince Nigerians that you are fit to lead them.
“Is Makinde the only presidential candidate who can jump? Is that the best argument he can offer Nigerians? If jumping is the qualification for becoming president, then we should organise an athletics competition instead of a presidential election.
“Governance is not about how high you can jump on a stage. It is about how well you can think, how sound your judgment is, how you manage public resources, how you protect lives and property, and how you improve the living conditions of the people.”
Olopoeyan also took exception to what he considered an unnecessary attempt to draw President Tinubu into a physical comparison, arguing that age should not be weaponised as a political insult or used to distract Nigerians from substantive issues.
“It is out of sense to compare his age with that of President Tinubu in that manner. It is an insult to suggest that the fitness of a president should be judged by whether he can perform the same stunt as another politician.
“President Tinubu is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The office is not a fighting ground, and Nigeria is not a wrestling arena. Makinde should understand the difference between campaigning for an office and trying to entertain a crowd.
“If you want to govern Nigeria, tell Nigerians what you will do differently. Tell us how you intend to tackle insecurity, create jobs, stabilise the economy, improve electricity supply and reduce the hardship facing ordinary citizens. Jumping up and down will not put food on anybody’s table,” he said.
The APM chieftain further challenged Makinde to focus his campaign on policy proposals and measurable commitments rather than making physical ability a condition for electoral support.
According to him, Nigerians deserve a campaign centred on competence, experience, accountability and clear plans for national development.
“Do you want to go to the Villa to govern Nigeria, or do you want to go there to fight? What exactly is the message? Is the presidency now a place where candidates must prove that they can jump or engage in physical contests before they can be considered qualified?
“Instead of constantly trying to ridicule President Tinubu, Makinde should tell Nigerians what he has to offer. He should present his own ideas, his own programmes and his own solutions. A presidential ambition should be built on substance, not stunts,” Olopoeyan added.
He maintained that while political campaigns could accommodate humour and entertainment, such displays should not take the place of serious discussions about the country’s future.
Olopoeyan also warned that Nigerians were increasingly interested in what politicians could deliver rather than dramatic performances designed to attract attention at political gatherings.
He said the 2027 election should be an opportunity for candidates to present credible plans for addressing the country’s problems, urging Makinde to abandon what he described as childish theatrics and concentrate on issues that directly affect the lives of citizens.
The APM chieftain concluded that no presidential candidate should expect Nigerians to make their electoral decisions based on the ability to jump on a stage, insisting that the real test of leadership was the capacity to govern effectively and deliver results.