Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of building a Nigeria that works only for those in government, urging voters to remove the ruling political establishment in the 2027 general election.
Makinde, who spoke on Tuesday at the APM presidential campaign rally in Jos, Plateau State, said the country needed a change in leadership, insisting that Nigerians had yet to experience the improved living conditions promised by the Federal Government following the removal of petrol subsidy.
He accused the Tinubu administration of adopting policy ideas similar to those contained in his party’s Reset Nigeria agenda, but questioned what the government had achieved in its three years in office.
‘When we unveiled our RESET Agenda, I said in Abuja that they would soon start stealing our ideas. Now they have started. They say theirs is ‘Reform to Prosperity’. They now say they want a Nigeria that will work for everybody. What have they been doing over the past three years?’ Makinde asked.
‘They have built a Nigeria that works only for them. Send the oppressors packing. Send them back to Lagos, and let us bring in the team that will reset Nigeria.’
The governor urged supporters to take the party’s campaign message to their respective polling units, arguing that electoral victories were secured through grassroots mobilisation.
‘Please, go back to your various units and spread the RESET message. Elections are won at the unit level. Go back to your units with the RESET message. If Nigeria is not working for you, then let us reset it,’ he said.
‘When we reset Nigeria, we will have a country that works for everybody.’
Makinde also linked improved security in Plateau State to the state’s potential to develop its tourism industry, create jobs and expand its economy.
He said the state’s relatively cool evening weather and natural attractions could make it a destination for tourists if the security challenges confronting the area were addressed.
‘I would have preferred this rally to have been held in the evening because, since I arrived, I have enjoyed the cool weather in Jos every evening. This tells us that if we get security right, people will come to Plateau State for tourism,’ he said.
‘Security is a major pillar of the RESET Agenda. Once we start attracting tourists, our economy on the Plateau will expand, and we will create jobs for our teeming youths.’
He urged Nigerians to support his presidential ambition, saying his objective was to build a country that would work for the present and future generations.
‘So, join me in building a Nigeria that will work for you, work for me and work for our children,’ he said.
Earlier, Yusuf Dantelle, national chairman of the APM, described the party’s presidential campaign as a rescue mission, questioning the economic benefits Nigerians had received from the removal of petrol subsidy.
Dantelle said the Federal Government had justified the removal of subsidy on the grounds that the policy would improve Nigerians’ living conditions, but argued that households were yet to experience the promised relief.
‘Subsidy has been withdrawn, according to the Federal Government, for one purpose: to give Nigerians a better life. But are we better off after that? We are paying through our noses. Food is not available. We cannot go to our farms. We cannot do anything,’ he said.
He attributed the difficulties facing Nigerians to rising living costs and insecurity, which he said had also affected agricultural activities and the ability of farmers to access their farmlands.
Describing the APM as an alternative political platform, Dantelle urged supporters to mobilise voters and communicate the party’s message across their communities.
‘We are here on a rescue mission, all of us. When you go back home, talk to somebody, who will talk to another person, and spread the message that there is a new party composed of people who fear God and have made a covenant with the people to ensure that what belongs to them is equitably returned to them. And that is the APM,’ he said.
He said the party was committed to operating within the provisions of the Constitution and delivering what he described as equitable governance.
‘We are not here to lie to you or deceive you. We are here as messengers of God and humane people who work within the confines of the Constitution, provided by all of us for all of us. And that is what democracy stands for,’ Dantelle added.