The Governor of Oyo State and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has accused President Bola Tinubu‘s administration of making excuses over Nigeria’s economic and security problems instead of showing enough progress in solving them.
Makinde said every government inherits challenges from its predecessor but must take responsibility for addressing them after coming into office.
He argued that more than three years into Tinubu’s administration, Nigerians were still hearing explanations about inherited poverty, insecurity, electricity problems and other challenges when they should be seeing clear improvements.
“Every government inherits problems, but it is elected to solve 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.
Naija News reports that the governor made the remarks in his newsletter on Thursday while explaining why he decided to challenge Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, despite supporting his emergence in 2023.
Makinde said his decision was not because of any personal disagreement with the president or simply because he wanted to become Nigeria’s next leader.
Rather, he said his concerns were about the direction of the country and the future of Nigerians.
The governor recalled that he supported Tinubu in 2023 because he believed the former Lagos State governor had the political experience and connections needed to unite the country and build a government based on competence.
He said, “I supported President Tinubu in 2023 because I believed his experience and political relationships could help him bring Nigerians together.
“One thing I have always acknowledged about him is his ability to build bridges across political divides. I believed he could use that ability to establish a government of national unity and competence, focused on improving the lives of Nigerians.”
However, Makinde said his assessment of the administration had changed, identifying four major issues behind his decision to seek the presidency in 2027.
His first concern was what he described as economic stability without economic development.
While acknowledging that some economic figures had improved under Tinubu, he argued that ordinary Nigerians were yet to feel the benefits in their daily lives.
According to him, the government should not have allowed Nigerians to endure so much hardship while waiting for economic development to begin.
“Also, contrary to the formula President Tinubu claims to be following, economic stabilisation and development are not necessarily sequential. Nigerians did not have to endure this level of hardship while waiting for development to begin,” he added.
His second concern was what he called governing by excuses, accusing the administration of repeatedly pointing to problems inherited from previous governments.
On national unity, Makinde said he had expected Tinubu to use his political experience to bring capable Nigerians together, regardless of their political differences.
However, he claimed that the president’s political alliances appeared to serve his personal political interests more than the country.
He also expressed concern about what he described as the weakening of opposition parties, insisting that a strong opposition was necessary for democracy to function properly.
The governor’s fourth concern was the implementation of economic reforms without enough protection for Nigerians.
Although he supported reforms in the petrol subsidy and foreign exchange systems, Makinde said the government should have put measures in place to reduce the hardship citizens would face before introducing the policies.
He argued that millions of Nigerians who were already struggling were exposed to further difficulties without adequate support.
Explaining how he would have handled some of the policies introduced by Tinubu, Makinde said he would not have removed the petrol subsidy without first putting measures in place to protect Nigerians.
He said the period between the announcement of the election results and the formal transfer of power could have been used to prepare for the effects of subsidy removal.
According to him, Tinubu already understood the possible consequences of the policy, having opposed the sudden removal of petrol subsidy by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2012.
Makinde also recalled the petrol and naira scarcity experienced before the 2023 general election, saying the president was already aware of the economic difficulties facing Nigerians.
“I would have used the presidential transition period to prepare for subsidy removal,” he said.
He added that he would have convened the National Economic Council to agree on a common plan with state governors before implementing the policy.
Such an arrangement, he said, would have clearly stated the responsibilities of the Federal Government, state governments and local councils, including how the necessary funds would be provided.
Using Oyo State as an example, Makinde said his administration moved quickly to reduce the impact of subsidy removal on residents.
He explained that his government consulted organised labour and introduced measures to make transportation cheaper.
“Within eleven days, we had announced the deployment of additional Omituntun buses, maintained existing fares and introduced half-price travel for students and senior citizens,” he said.
The governor further disclosed that his administration launched the Sustainable Actions for Economic Recovery (SAfER) programme in August 2023 to provide additional support to residents.
According to him, the programme provided food assistance to 200,000 vulnerable households, subsidised transportation and offered support to small businesses and farmers.
“Our approach was simple: provide immediate relief while developing measures to help people earn a living,” Makinde stated.
He maintained that economic reforms should not be judged only by their policy objectives but also by how they affect the lives of ordinary people.
Makinde also explained why he decided to contest the 2027 presidential election instead of waiting until 2031 or 2035.
The governor, who declared his presidential ambition on May 14, 2026, said he was concerned about the future of young Nigerians and the growing economic difficulties facing households and businesses.
He argued that his experience as governor had shown him how decisions taken by the Federal Government could affect the development efforts of states, regardless of what their individual administrations were doing.
Makinde urged Nigerians to look at his record in Oyo State and study his proposed Reset Nigeria Agenda before deciding whether to support his ambition.
He said he was not asking Nigerians to accept his promises without questioning them but wanted them to examine his plans and decide whether they offered a better direction for the country.
“I am not asking you to trust me blindly. I am asking you to examine what I am proposing and decide whether it offers a credible path towards the Nigeria we all deserve,” he said.
The APM presidential candidate also urged Nigerians not to lose faith in the country’s electoral process, saying the country should remain a place where people can achieve their dreams.
He added, “Because the Nigeria that gave me the opportunity to live my dreams should not become a country where our children can no longer dream.”
