2027: Tinubu, APC behind disunity in opposition, Makinde alleges

The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, on Tuesday blamed the lack of unity among opposition political parties and their candidates on President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC), whom he accused of frustrating every move to forge a united front.

He stated that part of their strategy was to continue to weaken the ranks of the opposition ahead of the polls.

Makinde spoke in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, during the South-South leg of his zonal town hall engagements with Nigerians ahead of the general elections.

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“They are doing everything possible to ensure that the opposition does not unite”, the APM candidate stated.

However, Makinde expressed confidence that the South-South would reject the APC in 2027 and back the APM, promising economic reforms, improved security and support for entrepreneurs under his proposed Reset Nigeria Agenda.

The APM candidate also accused the federal government of working against efforts to unite opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections, expressing confidence that the South-South region would reject the APC and support his presidential ambition.

“I can tell you that they are doing everything possible to ensure that the opposition does not unite”, he alleged.

Makinde, who unveiled his Reset Nigeria agenda as a blueprint for national transformation, said the programme would prioritise education, security, economic expansion and reforms to Nigeria’s socio-political structure. He argued that skills, knowledge and a thriving middle class were essential for sustainable economic prosperity.

On the economy, he advocated support for entrepreneurs through tax incentives, citing his administration’s experience in Oyo State as evidence that internally generated revenue could increase without raising taxes. Makinde also criticised the federal government’s tax policy, arguing that the government should tax wealth rather than burden poor Nigerians.

The governor further challenged the federal government to publish its pricing template for petroleum products, questioning whether policies such as the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and the naira-for-crude arrangement had translated into lower transportation costs for Nigerians.

Earlier, the APM National Leader and Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, urged Nigerians, particularly youths and women, to make informed choices in the 2027 elections, saying the decision should be based on the candidates’ records and capacity to deliver rather than money or age.

“It is not about money. It is not about age. It is not about anything. It is about pedigree”, Mohammed told the gathering.

He described Makinde and his running mate, Alhaji Lawal Daura, as candidates with the vision, knowledge, energy and roadmap required to rescue Nigeria from its present challenges.

He also urged Nigerians to participate in shaping the party’s agenda through public engagement and social media.

Daura, the APM vice-presidential candidate, in his own speech, said the party was determined to break what he described as Nigeria’s cycle of stagnation and ensure that citizens enjoyed dignity, security, education and economic opportunities.

He spoke more, “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 described the APM as a patriotic party committed to justice, truthful politics and national interest, declaring that its guiding principle was “Nigeria first”.

He urged Nigerians to support the party’s Reset agenda, which he said was designed to improve citizens’ welfare and move the country forward.

The National Chairman of APM, Mr Yusuf Dantalle, told the meeting that the need to reset Nigeria arose from the failure of existing systems to deliver the desired results, arguing that the country could not continue with the same approach while expecting different outcomes.

He explained, “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 identified insecurity, poverty, inequality and hopelessness as symptoms of deeper socio-economic and political problems, noting that Nigerians increasingly feared for their safety while travelling, visiting farms or going about their daily activities.

He further stated that the party was offering Nigerians an opportunity to change direction and build a country in which citizens could live in safety and take pride in their nationality.