Subsidy removal, naira floatation made life harder for Nigerians — Makinde

The Governor of Oyo State and presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement, Seyi Makinde, has criticised the economic policies of the All Progressives Congress-led administration under President Bola Tinubu, describing the simultaneous removal of fuel subsidy and floating of the naira as a double blow to Nigerians’ welfare.

Makinde, represented by a national leader of the party, Mr Babatunde Tijani, spoke on Monday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during the unveiling of the APM deputy governorship candidate for the state, Mrs Deborah Akinlade, as well as the party’s House of Assembly and National Assembly candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

The governor lamented that no country could withstand the twin economic shocks introduced by the APC government without adequate cushioning measures.

Makinde said, “How can a person just decide one day that he will remove the fuel subsidy without any cushioning effect or any they still went ahead and floated the naira.

Comparing the current security situation with previous years, Makinde said Nigerians could no longer sleep with their eyes closed due to worsening insecurity.

He said, “The purpose of today’s gathering is for the people to now come together, to now see for themselves that truly APM is grounded in Ogun State. That’s the message.

“We have told our people on the ground to begin massive mobilisation across local governments and wards, just to tell the people that they are in a new party to rescue Nigerians from unnecessary suffering and hardship.

“This is a party that is ready to alleviate the suffering of the masses. And the message is that we have to reset Nigeria in terms of everything: economy, security-wise, as you can see now. Before now, you could sleep withcould sleep with your two eyes closed, but things have changed.”

Highlighting the party’s governance blueprint, Makinde pointed to the infrastructure and development strides recorded under the PDP administration in Oyo State, asserting that the APM had the capacity to reset Nigeria’s trajectory.

He urged APM members in Ogun State to work together, mobilise voters and “chase out” the APC-led government in 2027.

Also speaking, the Ogun State Chairman of the APM and Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Abayomi Sanyaolu, scored the performance of the current APC-led Federal Government low, giving it a 35 per cent rating.

Sanyaolu urged Nigerians to reject vote-buying and obtain their Permanent Voter Cards to vote out the ruling party in 2027.

“The present administration is totally poor. If I want to give them an assessment out of 100 per cent, I can only give them 35 per cent.

“We should stop the issue of exchanging our birthright for N10,000 or N20,000.

“People should say no to all these exchanges of our lives because if you collect N20,000 for your vote, they will use four or eight years on the throne,” Sanyaolu stated.

He expressed optimism that the APM, represented by its cassava tuber logo symbolising food and economic abundance, would regain its political strength in Ogun State and lead the country towards economic recovery in 2027.The party’s governorship candidate in Ogun State, Rotimi Babajide, also urged residents to reject vote-buying and support the APM as an alternative to what he described as poor governance under the APC-led administration.

Babajide said his administration would prioritise grassroots governance and rapid development in food production, job creation, education, healthcare, road infrastructure and other areas aimed at improving residents’ welfare.

Cc: Punch