By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi
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Oyo State Governor and Presidential candidate of opposition Allied People’s Movement (APM) in the 2027 general elections, Engr Seyi Makinde, has declared that current political situation in Nigeria is toxic, darkest moment ever in the history of the country.
Seyi Makinde who is the Governor of Oyo State made the declaration in Bauchi on Friday while speaking to Journalists shortly after a behind closed doors meeting with Bauchi State Governor, Sen Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, National Chairman of the APM, and other party leaders and stakeholders at the Ramat House, Bauchi.
He said, “Being in opposition, the political environment, yes, it is very toxic. It is in the darkest moments, I can say that to you. But having said that, when the day is about to break, that is the darkest point. So I can give assurance to Nigerians that irrespective of the challenges we’re faced with, the day is about to break for a new dawn in the country. And tomorrow, the sun will start rising again for Nigeria. Okay.”
On the strength of the APM to win the 2027 general elections, he said, “In Oyo state in 2019, as an opposition party then in the PDP, APC was ruling at the Federal level. APC was ruling at the state level in Oyo state, but we won.”
He added, “Same thing is going to happen this time around. They must not suppress the will of the people. They must not suppress whatever the decision that they’re going to take. And that we will ensure happens. We will not allow any electoral malpractice, the outcome must reflect the voice of Nigerians.”
Speaking about what gives the APM confidence, to go into the general elections, he said, “You know, it is the people. Democracy is how to deal with the people of Nigeria. We believe the people of Nigeria, they will speak very loud and clearly when the time comes.”
On insecurity in Oyo state, he said, “You need to situate things in proper perspective. I want you to note two major things. One, this is my very first job in the public space. And I’ve been on this job for Seven years and maybe two months. The insecurity you mentioned happened two months ago, May 15. So, for several years, we didn’t witness anything like this in Oyo state. I declared to run for the presidency of Nigeria at 4 o’clock. And by 9 a.m. the following morning, the children were abducted.”
According to him,”We’re still feeling through all of this. Yes, we may have to do more. And we’re trying to do more. And my newsletter today, you know, basically dwelled on those challenges. We’re cooperating with the federal government.”
“Myself and my brother here are the Chief Security Officers in our States. But I cannot give an instruction to the Commissioner of Police in the state. He will need to get approval from the Inspector General of Police. He cannot give an instruction to the State Director of Security. He will need to get clearance from the DG of DSS. The same with the Military. The same with all of the people that are supposed to handle insecurity for us,” he stressed.
Seyi Makinde added that,
“Somebody said, oh, but you can declare curfew. I can declare curfew. But how does that fit with the economic activities of the people? So we’re trying our best to work with the federal authorities.”
According to him, “And it’s so unbelievable. When Chibok happened, it was the fault of President Jonathan. They went all over the world, asked Jonathan to bring back the children. But this happened, no. It is the irresponsibility of the State Governor and the State Government.”
He added that,”So we need to look at our architecture and be sure that where you give responsibility, you also give authority to deal with those responsibilities. And that is exactly what we will do if the people of Nigeria will trust APM with the presidency of Nigeria. We will ensure that responsibilities and authorities, they go together.”
On who the Vice Presidential candidate will be, the APM presidential candidate said, ‘Well, let us wait until you have the names uploaded onto INEC portal. Yes, it will be open. It’s also part of the consultations. And let me say this. Before I became Governor in 2019, my driver was the Deputy governorship candidate, because we knew that he was going to be a placeholder. When we were able to ring out an alignment with other opposition parties in Oyo state, we gave the deputy governorship slot to ADC then. So you should expect something similar at this time. We have enough time and consultation just like this will continue.”
On the purpose of the visit, he disclosed that, “I came here this afternoon to consult with my brother on wide-ranging issues. You recall that just the two of us are the two Governors on the platform of APM in the entire country. And if you look at the configuration of the country right now in terms of the Governors , the APC, they have 31 Governors, we’re the next, the two of us. And then you have one Governor from Labour Party, one from APGA, and one from Accord. So that’s the 36 State Governors in Nigeria.”
He added that,”And for me, consulting with my brother is a no-brainer because if I have challenges, before I run to anybody, I’ll run to somebody that I know is of the same stock as myself. So that’s why I came here this afternoon.”
According to him, “He has experienced security challenges here, and it’s been addressed. So I wanted to run a few things by him, and it’s no regret that I came here because I was fully briefed, and I’m taking back with me, ideas that we may want to also try out in our state.”
He added that, “And of course, we discussed issues surrounding our party and the future of democracy in Nigeria. So, on behalf of the government and the people of your state, I’d like to again say thank you for the hospitality, for hosting us, for opening your arms to accommodate us.”
Also speaking, Bauchi State Governor, Sen Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, said, “Our relationship, dating back to our time in the PDP, has always been one of a well-entrenched peer review mechanism, where governance is a continuous process of collaboration and interaction with our colleagues at both the subnational and national levels.”
According to him,”We come together to examine challenges, exchange ideas, and learn from one another. Governor Seyi Makinde, as a seasoned Engineer who has accomplished so much in Oyo State, is someone from whom I have learned a great deal.”
Bala Mohammed added that, “You can see that he is even executing projects that ordinarily fall under the responsibility of the Federal Government. He rebuilt the entire airport, which is owned by the Federal Government. It is not flattery to say that when you visit Oyo today, you will hardly recognise it as the same city once described in the poetry of Soyinka and other great writers as an ancient city. It has now been transformed into a modern city with expansive roads, a revitalised airport, and numerous other developments.”
The Bauchi State Governor added, “We also had extensive discussions on security, which remains a major challenge for us as chief security officers of our respective states. We shared experiences and explored ways of addressing these challenges collectively.”
“Most importantly, we discussed the future of our party, the APM, which is steadily growing into the next major opposition party in the country. The party is repositioning itself to play the role of a constructive opposition. Governor Makinde, as our presidential candidate, is working tirelessly to ensure that our campaigns are issue-based, free from malice, and driven by maturity, sound ideas, and capable individuals who can deliver effective leadership,” he added.
He also said, “I want to thank you for always giving us this recognition. You have made us feel important, even though we may not necessarily deserve such honour.
Speaking further, he said,”Our National Chairman deserves enormous credit. He is a vibrant and energetic young leader, and as the National Chairman of the APM, he has continued to strengthen the party. As we often say, the APM is richly endowed with the knowledge and human capital required to deliver good governance if given the opportunity. The leadership trajectory is already evident.”
In his remarks, National Chairman of the APM, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, said, “Considering the fact that we have only two Governors a structure, we are really ready for the battle.”
He declared, “In the history of this country, Nigerians have never desired change like this before—never, ever. It is very shameful in the history of Nigeria that Nigerians will be chased out of the countries they are legally living, by countries like South Africa, whose independence we fought for, while the government of this country stands aloof. It is embarrassing. It is shameful.”
According to him,”In the House, some persons are allowed to say something, while some are not allowed to speak. We saw what happened about two or three days ago this week in the House of Representatives. Nobody will save Nigeria unless we choose to save it ourselves.”
The National Chairman then declared,”APM is not coming to do the usual. What APM is coming with is to reset Nigeria, to reboot Nigeria, and to start solving the problems of Nigeria from the grassroots. Let every Nigerian take his destiny in their hands. This we will do legitimately. We call on all Nigerians to come forward. It is not about us; it is about Nigeria for Nigerians.”
A cross section APM leadership
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