Makinde accuses Tinubu of nepotism, slams unclear Budget implementation

…Says Nigeria needs transitional government of national unity

Seyi Makinde, the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of nepotism and poor fiscal management, saying Nigeria needs a change in leadership to address its economic, security and governance challenges.

Makinde, who spoke at the APM South-West town hall meeting on Thursday, also criticised what he described as the Federal Government’s failure to provide clarity on budget implementation, contrasting it with his record in Oyo State, where he said budget performance had risen from between 28 and 30 per cent to more than 70 percent under his administration.

He said, “This is happening under an administration whose budget for Nigeria we cannot even identify. Is it the 2023, 2024, 2025 or 2026 budget? Yet, they are presenting the UN budget and saying, ‘Look, this is the UN budget.’”

The governor said Oyo State had sustained a January-to-December budget cycle for more than seven years, with budgets usually presented between November and December, passed in early December and implemented from January 1.

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“This is not a one-year achievement. It is something we have sustained year after year,” he said.

Makinde, who is seeking the presidency in 2027, also rejected the argument that the South-West should not produce another presidential candidate because Tinubu, who is from the region, currently occupies the office.

He cited the 1999 presidential election, when Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae, both from the South-West, contested the presidency.

“In 1999, when the entire country ceded the presidency to the South-West, we had two of our fathers, Baba President Olusegun Obasanjo and Baba Olu Falae, contesting for the presidency. Both were from the South-West, and heaven did not fall,” he said.

According to him, the region should allow Nigerians to choose among candidates rather than treat the presidency as the exclusive preserve of a particular zone.

He said, “We do not want turn-by-turn nepotism. We also do not want a situation where someone says, ‘I will execute projects in my zone because it is my turn.’

“The projects will remain unfinished, and when it is someone else’s turn, they will do the same thing. Those projects will also remain unfinished. Ultimately, we will end up with a Nigeria that cannot derive value from its resources.”

The APM candidate said his Reset Nigeria agenda was designed to address insecurity, improve infrastructure, expand economic opportunities and create a political environment in which opposition parties could operate without interference.

On the economy, Makinde argued that the country needed to move away from dependence on federal allocations by expanding productive activities and creating alternative sources of revenue.

He said, “I mentioned the other day that the Federal Government has been spending the dividends from NLNG alone. They should remit whatever is due to the states and local governments. I am still repeating this, please. The reconciliation has been done.”

He added that his administration would prioritise productivity and prosperity rather than impose taxes on people already struggling economically.

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“When they are productive, they become prosperous. When they become prosperous, tax their prosperity. Do not tax poverty.

“Therefore, the Reset Nigeria agenda is about taxing prosperity, not poverty,” he said.

On democracy, Makinde questioned why a governing party with 31 governors and control of federal institutions would, in his view, seek to weaken opposition parties.

“I do not understand how a party in power, with 31 governors and almost all the instruments of coercion at its disposal, can still be afraid of the opposition. It will not allow the opposition to thrive,” he said.

He called on the Federal Government to ensure a more open political environment, adding, “There is no democracy in a one-party system.”

Makinde also said his administration would seek to reform Nigeria’s security architecture to allow economic activities to continue beyond the early evening hours.

He argued that improved security would help expand economic opportunities and address the concerns of young people and women.

The governor called on Nigerians, particularly those in the South-West, to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards and support his presidential ambition.

He also said the APM would constitute a transitional government of national unity to reposition the country.

Bala Mohammed, the party’s national leader and Bauchi State Governor, defended Makinde’s candidacy, describing him as a tested politician with experience in managing a large state.

Mohammed said the party’s decision to present Makinde
“He understands Nigeria’s problems, particularly in infrastructure and public services. He has demonstrated his capacity to deliver by reducing infrastructure gaps at the sub-national level in one of the largest states in the federation,” he said.

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Mohammed also described the APM as a growing opposition platform, saying it had two governors and a vision it intended to present to Nigerians.

He urged party members and supporters not to be intimidated by the challenges of opposition politics.

“We are not afraid as opposition figures. He and I have always been in the opposition. We are not afraid of anybody, and you should not be afraid of anybody either,” he said.

The party’s vice-presidential candidate, Lawal Daura, said the proposed administration would focus on easing Nigerians’ difficulties rather than introducing policies that would deepen their hardship.

Daura said the campaign was serious about its commitment to national renewal, warning party members against what he described as attempts by detractors to infiltrate their ranks and cause distractions.

He said the campaign had visited four other geopolitical zones before the South-West, which he described as the fifth, and claimed the turnout at the meeting indicated growing support for Makinde.

Daura added that the proposed administration would begin work immediately after its inauguration if elected.

“After May 29, 2027, we will hit the ground running. We will not introduce more hardship, frighten the people or leave them confused. Instead, we will work to reduce their pain, alleviate their suffering and make them feel once again that they are truly citizens of Nigeria,” he said.

Earlier, Yusuf Dantelle, the APM National Chairman, , called for a change in the country’s political and economic direction, citing the cost of petroleum products, insecurity and concerns about electoral processes.

Dantelle questioned the effectiveness of measures such as mandatory SIM registration in tackling insecurity, arguing that kidnappings and attacks on public officials had continued despite such interventions.

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He also criticised what he described as the increasing influence of powerful political actors in determining candidates and election outcomes.

“We have a National Assembly that does not appear to represent the people,” he said.

Dantelle called on Nigerians to support the APM, arguing that the country’s challenges required a collective effort beyond religious, ethnic and party affiliations.

“It is not about the religion we practise. It is not about our language. It is not about our political party. Parties will come and go, but Nigeria will remain,” he said.