The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: Seyi Makinde

Makinde Takes Campaign Message To South-East, Urges Voters To Reject Ethnic Politics

Precious Nwonu, Enugu

The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has called on voters in the South-East to look beyond ethnic and religious affiliations when choosing leaders ahead of the 2027 general election.

Makinde, who is also the governor of Oyo State, made the appeal during an APM South-East town hall meeting in Enugu, where he presented his party’s proposed agenda for addressing Nigeria’s economic and security challenges.

He acknowledged the strong political support enjoyed by former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi in the region but said his campaign would not be discouraged from seeking votes in the South-East.

Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party, is now the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

Makinde maintained that the problems confronting Nigerians cut across ethnic and religious boundaries, urging voters to support candidates based on their plans and capacity to address the country’s challenges.

He outlined four major components of his proposed agenda: economic recovery, restructuring of the security system, education reform and rebuilding the socio-political environment.

The APM candidate said his campaign had engaged Nigerians across the six geopolitical zones to understand their concerns and incorporate their expectations into the party’s manifesto.

He disclosed that the document would be finalised over the weekend and unveiled on November 4, 2026.

Makinde also identified the lack of trust between political leaders and citizens as one of the problems affecting governance, arguing that sincerity and accountability could help restore public confidence.

Using his experience in Oyo State as an example, he said his administration had worked to rebuild trust between the government and residents and promised to apply a similar approach at the national level if elected.

On the economy, Makinde pledged to move Nigeria away from dependence on the distribution of federal allocations towards a productive system driven by businesses, manufacturing and entrepreneurship.

He identified high interest rates and limited access to long-term financing as major obstacles to industrial growth, promising to address both challenges.

The governor also announced a partnership between his campaign and Skill Reset Nigeria to train one million young Nigerians in employable skills. He encouraged interested youths to register through the organisation’s website to participate in the programme.

His running mate, Lawal Daura, also called for urgent action against hunger, poverty and insecurity, warning that democracy could not function effectively where political activities were militarised and security issues became politicised.

Daura said the party was proposing a 16-point agenda aimed at addressing the country’s difficulties, adding that Nigerians needed leadership committed to improving their living conditions.

Meanwhile, the APM National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, appealed to President Bola Tinubu to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race and support Makinde’s candidacy.

Dantalle argued that Tinubu should allow Makinde to complete what he described as the remaining four years of the South’s turn in power.

He also attributed Nigeria’s insecurity to underlying socioeconomic problems, including poverty and unemployment, and called for improved electricity and transportation infrastructure to support economic development.

The meeting was attended by former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Director-General of the Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation, Felix Hassan Hyat, APM state chairmen and other party stakeholders.

APM Urges Tinubu To Reconsider 2027 Presidential Bid

In a related development, the Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation has asked Tinubu to use his ongoing Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia to reflect on his administration’s performance and consider withdrawing from the 2027 presidential contest.

The organisation made the appeal in a statement issued on Thursday by its Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa.

It urged the President to reflect on his campaign promises, the country’s security situation and the economic difficulties Nigerians have faced since he assumed office in May 2023.

The campaign organisation also questioned whether Tinubu deserved another term, citing concerns over rising hardship, hunger, insecurity and access to essential services.

It argued that public office should come with accountability and that the President should assess his administration’s record before seeking another mandate.

Tinubu departed Abuja for Makkah on Thursday to perform Umrah, the lesser Islamic pilgrimage.

October 30, 2026
Makinde Defends 2027 Presidential Bid Against Tinubu, Cites Obasanjo-Falae Contest

Precious Nwonu, Enugu

Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, has defended his decision to contest the 2027 presidential election against an incumbent from the South-West, arguing that the region can field more than one candidate without compromising its interests.

Makinde spoke on Thursday at the APM’s South-West town hall meeting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, where he recalled the 1999 presidential election, which featured two prominent candidates from the region.

The governor said some people had questioned his decision to enter the race because President Bola Tinubu, who is also from the South-West, currently occupies the office.

“I’ve listened to people. They said to us, ‘Seyi Makinde, why are you contesting in this election when the South-West already has somebody seated on that seat?’ And I’ve explained to them, we do have an example here in the South-West,” he said.

Makinde cited the 1999 election, in which former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae contested the presidency, noting that the region’s decision to produce two candidates did not result in any disaster.

He argued that the arrangement gave Nigerians the opportunity to choose between two candidates from the same region.

“And heaven did not fall. As a matter of fact, what the South-West did was to present two of their finest, two of their best for Nigeria to choose from. Is there anything wrong with that this time around?” he asked.

The governor also urged voters in the region to reject what he described as deceptive politics, saying he would campaign on his record in Oyo State rather than rely solely on criticism of political opponents.

Makinde also criticised the Federal Government over a reported presentation of the United Nations budget to the President in Nigeria by the country’s permanent representatives to the UN.

He questioned the justification for spending public funds on travel from New York to Abuja for the exercise.

The governor further raised concerns about budget implementation, asking which fiscal year’s budget was being implemented.

“Is it 2023, 2024, 2025, or 2026 budgets?” he asked.

On the campaign, Makinde said he would focus on energy and physical stamina rather than make age a central issue in the presidential contest.

“While I will not make age an issue of this campaign, I will make energy. Having energy. Being able to stay up late, have the rigours, have the energy to deal with the challenges that we are faced with as a country,” he said.

He challenged rival presidential candidates to demonstrate their physical fitness during the campaign, suggesting that voters should consider their ability to withstand the demands of the race.

“So please, when they bring their own presidential candidates, let the candidates come here and also jump down. If they can do that, vote for them,” Makinde added.

October 22, 2026
NLNG Dividends: Makinde Challenges FG to Explain How $3bn Was Shared

Precious Nwonu, Enugu

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has asked the Federal Government to disclose how it distributed nearly $3bn in dividends received from Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in 2023.

Makinde’s demand followed the Presidency’s rejection of his allegation that states and local governments had been denied their rightful shares of the dividends, resulting in an estimated shortfall of about ₦9tn.

The Presidency, through the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, dismissed the governor’s claim as false and urged Nigerians to disregard it.

Onanuga argued that for states alone to be owed ₦9tn, the total dividends paid into the Federation Account would have to exceed ₦33.68tn, or approximately $25bn, in a single declaration.

He maintained that NLNG had never paid such an amount in one instalment, adding that the company had distributed about $21.5bn in dividends to the Federation over the past 25 years, with less than $3bn received since Tinubu took office.

However, Makinde, through his Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, said the Presidency had not addressed the central issue of how the dividends were shared among the federal, state and local governments.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Olanrewaju disclosed that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, with support from the Federal Government, had engaged a consultant to reconcile NLNG dividend payments.

According to him, the exercise identified an alleged shortfall of about ₦9tn owed to states and local governments, and the Federal Government had accepted the findings.

“The report remains in the custody of both the Federal Government and the NGF. We trust the Presidency will not deny its existence,” the statement said.

Olanrewaju argued that the Presidency’s disclosure of the total dividends received since NLNG began operations did not establish whether state and local governments had received their respective allocations.

“The Presidency stated that NLNG had paid $21.5 billion in dividends into the Federation Account since inception, including $3 billion received under the current administration. But it did not explain how these funds were disbursed,” he said.

He challenged the Federal Government to disclose how much each tier of government received and the basis for calculating the allocations.

“Have states and local governments received their shares? How much did they receive, and how were those amounts calculated? What happened to the $3 billion received under this administration?” he asked.

The governor’s aide defended Makinde’s position, insisting that the governor’s public statements were based on available information and were not made without justification.

He said Makinde “conducts public discourse with decorum and does not make unfounded claims or quote figures without a basis”.

Olanrewaju urged the Presidency to respond directly to the questions surrounding the reconciliation exercise and the distribution of the dividends.

NLNG produces and exports liquefied natural gas and related products. Its shareholders include the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Shell, TotalEnergies and Eni.

October 19, 2026