By Adegboyega Adeleye
Oyo State Governor and Allied People’s Movement (APM) presidential candidate Seyi Makinde has warned the APC-led Federal Government against actions that could weaken opposition parties, saying “there is no democracy if it is a one-party system” while also urging the National Economic Council (NEC) to tax prosperity rather than poverty as he unveiled his RESET agenda in the South-West.
Makinde spoke at the APM South-West Town Hall Meeting in Akure, Ondo State, on Thursday, saying his agenda would focus on making the economy more productive and expanding opportunities for Nigerians to move out of poverty.
The APM Presidential candidate said Nigeria’s founding leaders had worked to establish federalism and multi-party democracy, and criticised what he described as efforts to prevent opposition parties from thriving.
“Our fore fathers worked really hard to give us federalism, to give us multi-party democracy because I do not understand how a party in power, with 31 governors, with almost all the instruments of coercion, they are still afraid, they won’t allow opposition to thrive,” he said.
Makinde cited Oyo State as an example of the political openness he wants to see nationally.
“Go to Oyo state, whether you are opposition or you’re in the same party as the ruling party in the state, the space is completely open. That is what we demand from the federal government. Stop using the backdoor to cause crisis for the opposition parties, there is no democracy if it is a one-party system.” he said.
Makinde urges NEC to tax prosperity, not poverty
The APM presidential candidate also outlined the economic pillar of his RESET agenda, saying it would focus on making the economy more productive and creating more ways to move Nigerians from poverty to prosperity. He said federal allocation should not remain the main source of income for governments once the economy becomes productive.
“The RESET agenda contemplates a Nigeria where, as they will say in Ibadan, federal allocation will be ‘Arakun bi aso gbagi’ (there is always room for more), it won’t be the main gig for us because once the economy becomes productive, there will be several avenues for us to take our people from poverty to prosperity,” he said.
He further revealed how he had made the same argument at a National Economic Council (NEC) meeting, urging leaders to support productivity and tax people when they become prosperous.
“And I’ve always argued and I did before now when I had the opportunity to speak about it, in house at the National Economic Council meeting. I said, please, let the people be productive, when they are productive, they become prosperous. When they are prosperous, tax prosperity, don’t tax poverty. So, the RESET agenda is for us to tax prosperity not poverty,” Makinde added.
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