By Luminous Jannamike
Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has declared that Nigeria is not working, promising to reset the country through reforms in education, security, the economy and fiscal federalism.
Makinde said his agenda would tackle insecurity, poverty and economic hardship, arguing that Nigeria could no longer afford policies that burden citizens without translating into better living conditions.
He spoke at the APM Presidential Campaign Organisation’s South-South town hall meeting in Akwa Ibom State, where the party’s National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, said the country needed a fundamental change of direction.
“Why do you reset something? You reset something that is not working. Nigeria is not working. We can’t continue to do the same thing and expect different results,” Dantalle said.
Makinde, outlining his agenda, said education would be central to building a prosperous economy, while promising to overhaul the security architecture and completely resolve militancy in the Niger Delta.
He also promised tax incentives for entrepreneurs, citing his administration’s record of increasing Oyo State’s internally generated revenue without raising taxes.
Taking aim at the Federal Government’s tax policy, Makinde accused it of placing additional burdens on poor Nigerians rather than encouraging productivity.
“You are supposed to tax wealth. You are not supposed to tax poverty. But they are only interested in taxing poverty,” he said.
The APM candidate also renewed his allegation that the Federal Government had withheld nearly N250 billion due to each state from Nigeria LNG dividend payments, insisting that the revenue should be shared among the three tiers of government in line with the Constitution.
“Anything that goes into the Federation Account, according to our Constitution, should be shared between the Federal Government, state governments and local governments. Let them provide the amounts meant for the states and local governments in Nigeria,” he said.
On the rising cost of living, Makinde challenged the Federal Government to publish its petroleum pricing template, questioning whether its compressed natural gas initiative and naira-for-crude arrangement had delivered lower transportation costs for Nigerians.
He accused the APC of working to frustrate opposition unity but expressed confidence that the South-South would reject the ruling party in the next election.
“I am 101 per cent sure that, just like during the 2023 elections, this zone did not vote for the APC. They will vote for the APM in the next election,” he said.
Earlier, APM National Leader and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, urged Nigerians, particularly youths and women, to choose their leaders based on competence, track record and vision rather than money or age.
He described Makinde and his running mate, Lawal Daura, as leaders with the experience and roadmap to move Nigeria out of its present difficulties, saying the party would rely on persuasion and engagement rather than coercion.
“We are leading by persuasion. We are leading by stakeholder engagement. We are leading with a spirit of togetherness in a new Nigeria,” Mohammed said.
Daura, the party’s vice-presidential candidate, said the APM was determined to break what he described as Nigeria’s cycle of stagnation and restore dignity to citizens through reforms in education, security and the economy.
“Nigerians have no reason to be poor. They have no reason to be poor. But at least, Nigerians are entitled to live a dignified life,” he said.
Dantalle, in his remarks, blamed insecurity, poverty and inequality on deeper failures in the country’s socio-economic and political arrangements, lamenting that Nigerians could no longer travel, visit markets or go to their farms without fear of kidnapping.
He urged Nigerians to support the APM’s proposed reset, saying the country needed a new direction that would restore national pride and address the conditions fuelling hopelessness.
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