The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) said on Thursday that Nigerians did not miss President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his four-week stay in Europe, arguing that his absence or presence had made little difference to their daily challenges.
Tinubu returned to Lagos from Paris on Tuesday, September 29, after what the Presidency described as a working vacation.
The party made its position known through the National Publicity Secretary, Mr Abubakar Yusuf, on Thursday, saying the President’s return was marked by ‘a lacklustre reception’ compared with the public celebrations often associated with the return of national leaders.
Yusuf, who insisted ‘Nigerians did not miss President Tinubu,’ alleged that the President was received mainly by government officials, members of his political circle and supporters rather than ordinary citizens.
He also claimed that the subdued reception reflected what the APM described as growing public dissatisfaction with the administration, adding that the President’s absence had further reinforced concerns about his handling of the country’s affairs.
The APM spokesperson also referred to videos circulating online which, according to him, showed some Nigerians in Lagos booing the President and chanting ‘ole’ (a Yoruba word for thief) on his arrival.
The party further stated that the scenes reflected ‘deep-seated dissatisfaction’ with the administration.
Yusuf accused the President of spending public funds on expensive foreign trips while Nigerians continued to grapple with economic and security challenges, noting that Tinubu had become ‘completely disconnected’ from issues affecting the well-being of citizens.
Yusuf wrote, ‘Today, in the mouths of the majority of Nigerians and even foreigners, President Tinubu’s government represents national hopelessness and misery.’
The APM further faulted the administration’s policies, alleging that they had weakened productive activities, disrupted livelihoods and increased pressure on families. The party said these issues had strengthened its campaign for a change of government in 2027.
‘The message is clear; Nigerians have rejected the APC-led administration and are ready, as Resetters, to vote in a new leadership as embodied in the Presidential Candidate of the APM and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde’, the party added.
He recalled the reception accorded Makinde at his engagements across the country lately, which the party said demonstrated growing acceptance of the APM candidate, adding that a Makinde-Lawal Daura administration would seek to provide a more responsive and present leadership.
‘When elected President, Engr. Makinde will be a present and responsive President whose leadership will positively impact every aspect of life in our country’, the APM assured, urging Nigerians to remain committed to its ‘Reset’ agenda and vote for Makinde and Daura in the 2027 presidential election for ‘a new lease of life.’