The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticised Governor Seyi Makinde over his recent comments against President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, alleging that the governor lacks the leadership credentials to govern Nigeria.
The party also claimed that if Makinde had been elected President in 2023, he would have sold off the country’s strategic national assets, insisting that the difference between the Oyo governor and President Tinubu is “like the difference between heaven and earth.”
The APC was reacting to remarks attributed to Makinde, who, while represented at the unveiling of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) candidates for the 2027 general elections in Abeokuta, Ogun State, criticised the Federal Government’s economic reforms and expressed confidence that President Tinubu could be defeated in the 2027 presidential election.
Responding in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Publicity Secretary, Wasiu Sadare, the Oyo APC dismissed the governor’s comments, arguing that Nigerians were fortunate he did not emerge President in the last general election.
The party maintained that no amount of criticism directed at President Tinubu would persuade Nigerians to entrust Makinde with the country’s leadership.
According to the APC, the President’s economic reforms, though difficult, have received commendation from international institutions and economic observers who recognise them as necessary steps toward stabilising the Nigerian economy.
The statement read: “Gov. Makinde can afford to condemn the bold and courageous steps taken by President Bola Tinubu in 2023, but all the informed minds and reputable global institutions cannot be wrong in their overwhelming applause for the President, who has not only saved Nigeria from imminent collapse and extinction but is also working tirelessly to place the country in its rightful place among the comity of nations.”
The opposition party further accused Makinde of disposing of valuable state assets during his administration, alleging that many public assets had been transferred into private hands in exchange for financial gains.
It argued that if Makinde had become President, he would have extended the same approach to national assets.
“A Makinde who has transferred virtually all the assets of Oyo State to the wrong hands in exchange for cash in seven years would have sold Rivers, Niger and Benue, as well as the nation’s portion of the Atlantic Ocean, if he had the opportunity. To this end, Nigerians will never make the mistake of trusting him with their mandate,” the statement alleged.
The latest exchange underscores the growing political rivalry between Governor Makinde and the APC as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections continue to gather momentum.
While Makinde has emerged as one of the prominent opposition figures criticising the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, the APC has consistently defended the President’s reforms, insisting that the measures are necessary to secure Nigeria’s long-term economic recovery despite the current hardship experienced by many citizens.
The party also maintained that Makinde’s performance as governor does not qualify him to seek Nigeria’s highest political office, expressing confidence that Nigerians would reject any presidential ambition he may pursue in 2027.