Tinubu building political power, not national unity – Makinde

Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has accused President Bola Tinubu of using political alliances to advance his political interests rather than promote national unity, saying the administration has failed to deliver the governance he expected when he supported Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.

Makinde, in a statement published on his RESET Nigeria website on Thursday, said he initially supported Tinubu because he believed the president would bring Nigerians together to build a government of national unity and competence. He, however, said his assessment of the administration had changed three years into its tenure, prompting his decision to challenge Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

“I supported President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023. Today, I am running against him in the 2027 presidential election,” he said. “Some people have asked what changed. Others believe there must have been a personal disagreement between us. “I understand why they would think that. But my decision is not about a personal disagreement or an ambition to occupy Aso Rock.

It is about the future of Nigeria and the opportunities available to Nigerians.” The governor said his support for Tinubu was based on the belief that the president’s political experience and relationships would enable him to build bridges across political divides and assemble a competent government capable of addressing the country’s economic challenges.

“One thing I have always acknowledged about him is his ability to build bridges across political divides,” Makinde said. He said he had become increasingly concerned about four major issues under the Tinubu administration: economic stability without economic development, governing by excuses, the pursuit of political power at the expense of national unity, and economic reforms without adequate protection for Nigerians.

On the economy, Makinde acknowledged improvements in some macroeconomic indicators but argued that such gains had not sufficiently translated into better living conditions for ordinary Nigerians. “I acknowledge the improvements in some macroeconomic indicators under this administration. “But government revenues and external reserves mean little to ordinary Nigerians if those gains do not translate into productive businesses, jobs, better incomes and improved living conditions,” he said.

He also disagreed with the suggestion that economic stabilisation must precede development, arguing that both could be pursued simultaneously. According to him, Nigerians should not be made to endure the current level of hardship while waiting for the benefits of economic reforms to materialise. On what he described as governing by excuses, Makinde said although every administration inherited challenges, it was the responsibility of an elected government to address them.

“Over three years into this administration, we are still hearing explanations about inherited poverty, insecurity, electricity problems and other challenges, when Nigerians should be seeing more measurable progress towards resolving them,” he said. The governor also expressed concern over what he described as the weakening of opposition parties, arguing that a strong opposition was essential to a functioning democracy.

“I believed President Tinubu’s ability to build political alliances would translate into a government that brought capable Nigerians together around a shared national interest. “Instead, I have come to believe that his political alliances serve his political objectives more than the national interest, and I am deeply concerned about the weakening of opposition parties, which are essential to a functioning democracy,” he said.

On economic reforms, Makinde said he supported the need to reform the petrol subsidy and foreign exchange systems but faulted the administration for failing to put adequate measures in place to protect vulnerable Nigerians before implementing the policies. He said millions of Nigerians who were already struggling had been exposed to additional hardship before sufficient cushioning measures were introduced.

Makinde maintained that his position was not driven by personal disagreements with Tinubu but by fundamental differences over governance, policy priorities and the responsibility of government to citizens. Four years enough to produce results The governor further argued that the Tinubu administration could have better prepared Nigerians for the removal of petrol subsidy by using the presidential transition period to develop measures to cushion its impact.

He recalled that Tinubu had opposed the abrupt removal of subsidy by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2012 and had also witnessed the petrol and naira scarcity crises in the build-up to the 2023 general elections. Makinde said he would have convened the National Economic Council (NEC), comprising state governors and other relevant officials, to agree on interv