The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged that Nigeria was fortunate not to have elected someone like Governor Seyi Makinde as its leader in 2023; otherwise, the nation would have been sold to interested buyers from other countries, with the proceeds ending up in his pocket.
The APC’s remark came against the backdrop of Governor Makinde’s recent description of President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms as ill-motivated and wrong.
Recall that the governor, speaking through a representative on Monday in Abeokuta during the unveiling of all the Ogun State candidates of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) for the 2027 poll, expressed his readiness to dislodge the APC from the Presidential Villa in next year’s general elections.
But the APC, reacting to Makinde in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, said no amount of warped criticism and shadowboxing would make Nigerians choose a failed governor to replace a performing man as the nation’s President in 2027.
According to the party, the difference between President Tinubu and Governor Seyi Makinde in terms of experience, reputation, and results is like the distance between heaven and earth.
‘Therefore, we would not submit ourselves to an invitation to a macabre dance from him (Makinde) even as the whole world knows that he is on a journey to nowhere as far as the 2027 general elections are concerned.’
‘Gov. Makinde can afford to condemn the bold and courageous steps taken by President Bola Tinubu in 2023, as he is wont to playing to the gallery, but all informed minds and reputable global institutions cannot be wrong in their overwhelming applause for the President, who has not only saved Nigeria from imminent collapse and extinction but is also working tirelessly to place the country in its rightful place among the comity of nations.
‘The Oyo State governor swims in a pool of money as a result of the huge financial resources made available to his state and the 33 local government councils in the state by the Tinubu administration, yet he has little to show for it in terms of improved security, quality infrastructure, job opportunities, and other essentials for the residents of the Pacesetters State.
‘As it stands today, Oyo State is at the bottom of the table among the 36 states in terms of growth and development.
‘As a matter of fact, Gov. Makinde would have considered selling off Nigeria as the best option if he were the President faced with the quantum of challenges which President Tinubu encountered on assumption of office in 2023.
‘A Makinde who has transferred virtually all the assets of Oyo State to the wrong hands in exchange for cash in seven years would have sold the Niger and Benue rivers, as well as the nation’s portion of the Atlantic Ocean, if he had the opportunity.
‘To this end, Nigerians will never make the mistake of trusting him with their mandate.’