By: Odeh Favour Adiya
The Governor of Oyo State and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has declared that Nigeria can be completely reset within four years if he is elected president in 2027.
Makinde made the commitment on Monday during the APM North-Central Town Hall Meeting held in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.
In a post on his X platform prior to the event, the governor highlighted preliminary strategy sessions held with party candidates from the geopolitical zone.
“We are presently in Lafia for the APM North Central Town Hall Meeting today,” Makinde wrote.
“Last night, we held a closed-door meeting with APM candidates in the North Central Zone. We will work together to reset Nigeria so that it works for all Nigerians.”
Elaborating on his vision, the APM flagbearer assured that his administration would implement a fresh security architecture, reform education, and rebuild the nation’s economy using data, science, and logic, alongside a total overhaul of the socio-political environment.
“The reset agenda can be concluded in four years. We had someone who was head of state in this country for 10 months, and he was able to end military rule and usher in the democracy we now enjoy in Nigeria,” Makinde argued.
“We can reset and give Nigeria a new security architecture, a new path for education, our economy utilising data, science and logic, and our socio-political environment in four years.”
“So, as your president from May 29, 2027, we will run a transitional government of national unity that will culminate in new players and an agenda for Nigeria’s sustainable development,” he stated.
Criticising the Federal Government’s handling of security, particularly in the North-Central region, Makinde questioned the planning behind military expansion, pointing to missing budgetary provisions.
“Midway into 2026, insecurity is a big issue, especially in the North-Central zone. They set up army divisions, and I was looking at the 2026 budget. For the item relating to the setting up of those army divisions, I did not see it.”
“If they have it in the budget they prepared for 2026, they should bring it up,” he challenged.
The presidential hopeful also faulted the economic policy of the current administration, arguing that higher revenue allocations to states have failed to translate into better living conditions or reduced poverty for citizens.
“Yes, they claim the state government has more money from the federation account. I’m not arguing that we have more money, but has it translated to fighting hunger in our society? The answer is no,” he said.
Reflecting on Oyo State’s fiscal journey, Makinde noted that while his administration succeeded in reducing federal dependency from over 80 per cent to around 65 per cent in 2022, recent macroeconomic policies reversed those gains.
“When I came in as Oyo state governor in 2019, the state’s dependence on federal allocation was 80+ per cent; we worked really hard to bring it down to about 65 per cent in 2022, then came the statement ‘subsidy is gone’… the resultant is that today, Oyo state is back to almost 80 per cent dependent on federal allocation,” he explained.
Taking a final swipe at federal financial claims, Makinde dismissed the central government’s economic model outright.
“That is their voodoo economics,” he added.
