Presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of building a Nigeria that works only for the privileged few.
Makinde made the allegation on Monday at the party’s presidential campaign rally in Jos, Plateau State, where he also accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of adopting ideas from his party’s RESET Agenda without improving the living conditions of Nigerians.
He recalled unveiling the agenda in Abuja, claiming that the ruling party had subsequently borrowed its ideas and incorporated similar promises into its own reform message.
“When we unveiled our RESET Agenda, I said in Abuja that they would soon start stealing our ideas. Now they have started. They say theirs is ‘Reform to Prosperity’. They now say they want a Nigeria that will work for everybody. What have they been doing over the past three years?” he asked.
“They have built a Nigeria that works only for them. Send the oppressors packing. Send them back to Lagos, and let us bring in the team that will reset Nigeria,” he added.
The APM candidate identified insecurity as a major obstacle to Plateau State’s economic potential, promising that an APM-led government would prioritise security, tourism and job creation.
He argued that restoring peace would attract tourists, expand the state’s economy and create employment opportunities for young people.
“Security is a major pillar of the RESET Agenda. Once we start attracting tourists, our economy on the Plateau will expand, and we will create jobs for our teeming youths,” he said.
Makinde urged supporters to take the party’s campaign message to polling units, stressing that electoral victories were secured through grassroots mobilisation.
Earlier, the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Lawal Daura, expressed concern over worsening insecurity in Plateau, recalling the state’s former reputation as a major tourism destination.
APM National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, also criticised the Federal Government’s handling of fuel subsidy removal, questioning whether the policy had improved Nigerians’ living conditions.
He said the removal was presented as a measure to improve citizens’ welfare but argued that Nigerians were instead facing higher living costs, food shortages and difficulties accessing their farms.
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PRP accuses APC of suffocating opposition
In a separate development, the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) accused the APC of undermining opposition parties and exploiting religious and ethnic divisions to retain power in the 2027 elections.
In a statement signed by its National Chairman, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the party alleged that the ruling party was interfering in the internal affairs of opposition parties and using state power to frustrate their political activities.
“It is now clear to all Nigerians that APC is putting no stops in suffocating all opposition. From clumsy attempts to interfere in internal affairs of the opposition parties, to the use of state muscle to frustrate genuine campaigns by the opposition,” the statement read.
The PRP also accused the ruling party of exploiting religious sentiments, citing the controversy surrounding the APC’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in the 2023 election.
Baba-Ahmed alleged that the administration was using religion and ethnicity to deepen divisions rather than address insecurity and economic hardship.
He said the APC was seeking to exploit Nigeria’s religious and ethnic differences for electoral advantage despite the hardship affecting citizens across different communities.
