The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, has said Nigeria needs an energetic leader capable of tackling the country’s economic and security challenges.
Makinde stated this on Thursday during the APM South-West town hall meeting and presidential campaign in Akure, the Ondo State capital, where he criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration over budget implementation, taxation and its alleged interference in opposition parties.
The governor urged Nigerians, particularly those in the South-West, to reject what he described as the politics of deceit and entitlement, insisting that his proposed Reset Nigeria agenda would create a country that works for everyone.
He argued that the demands of the presidency require a leader with the physical strength and stamina to withstand the rigours of the office.
“While I will not make age an issue in this campaign, I will make energy an issue. We need a leader who has the energy to stay up late, withstand the rigours of the office and tackle the challenges facing our country,” he said.
Makinde challenged other presidential candidates to demonstrate their physical fitness, suggesting that Nigerians should assess their capacity to handle the demands of the position.
He also defended his decision to contest the presidency despite the South-West already producing the incumbent president.
Citing the 1999 presidential election, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae contested against each other, Makinde argued that presenting multiple candidates from the same region does not threaten national unity.
“When in 1999, the entire Nigeria ceded the presidency to the South-West, and we had two of our fathers, Baba President Obasanjo and Baba Olu Falae, they contested the presidency, both from the South-West. And heaven did not fall. Is there anything wrong with that this time around?” he asked.
The APM candidate accused the Federal Government of allegedly creating crises within opposition parties through covert means, calling on the Tinubu administration to allow opposition parties to operate freely.
He questioned why the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), despite controlling 31 states, would allegedly be afraid of opposition parties.
Makinde said Nigeria could not sustain a genuine democracy if the political environment allowed only one party to thrive.
He cited Oyo State as an example of an environment where opposition parties could operate without restrictions, regardless of their political affiliations.
“But I don’t understand how a party in power with 31 governors and almost all the instrument of coercion and they are still afraid; they won’t allow the opposition to thrive,” he said.
“Go to Oyo State, whether you are in opposition or in the same party as the ruling party, 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’s a one-party system.”
Makinde also challenged the Federal Government to clarify its budgetary operations, questioning which budget it was currently implementing.
He contrasted the situation with his administration’s record in Oyo State, claiming that budget performance had risen from between 28 and 30 per cent before he assumed office to more than 70 per cent under his government.
The governor said his administration had consistently operated its budget from January to December for more than seven years.
According to him, the state government usually presents its budget to the House of Assembly for approval before the beginning of the financial year.
Makinde maintained that effective budget planning and implementation were necessary to deliver development and improve the lives of citizens.
The governor also faulted the Federal Government’s approach to taxation, arguing that Nigerians should be allowed to become productive and financially stable before being subjected to heavier tax obligations.
He said he had previously raised the issue at a National Economic Council meeting, urging the government to prioritise policies that would improve productivity and prosperity.
“I have argued when I had the opportunity to speak 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 them but don’t tax poverty,” he said.
“So the Reset Agenda is for us to tax prosperity and not poverty.”
He added that his proposed agenda was aimed at building an economy that benefits the wider population rather than a privileged few.
“We want a Nigeria that works for everybody. It is not a Nigeria that works for very few,” he said.
Makinde further rejected what he described as politics driven by entitlement and nepotism, arguing that national development should not depend on the region or political group controlling power.
