Oyo APC Should Stop The Noise And Face The Real Issues ||▪︎ By Dr Peter Akande 

By Dr Peter Akande

The latest attack by the Oyo State APC on Governor Seyi Makinde’s 2027 presidential ambition is another desperate attempt to distract Nigerians from the issues that actually matter.

Describing Governor Makinde’s presidential ambition as “clownish” does not make it clownish. Politics is not a comedy competition, and newspaper insults are not evidence. If the APC genuinely has evidence that public funds are being used illegally to finance Governor Makinde’s political ambition, let the party produce the evidence, identify the expenditure and take the matter to the appropriate authorities.

Otherwise, this is nothing more than political noise.

But there is an even more fundamental question the APC should answer: why is the party so frightened by the political ambition of a man it claims has no chance of winning?

If Makinde is truly politically irrelevant, why is the APC spending so much energy attacking him?

The answer is simple. The governor has built political relevance beyond Oyo State, and the APC knows that 2027 will not be determined by press releases, insults or political propaganda.

The APC should also stop assuming that every politician operates the way it does. If your candidate depends on government money, that does not mean our candidate does. Governor Makinde has demonstrated a capacity to build political structures and relationships without reducing governance to a personal campaign fund.

If the APC has evidence to the contrary, let it bring the evidence.

More importantly, APC should tell Oyo people what it achieved when it had the opportunity to govern the state. What major legacy did it leave behind? What transformational programmes can it confidently place beside the achievements recorded under the Makinde administration?

Rather than answering those questions, the APC has chosen to concentrate on name-calling.

That is not how serious opposition politics works.

Governor Makinde’s record is available for public examination. His administration has invested in infrastructure, education, healthcare, workers’ welfare, pensioners’ welfare and other areas of development. The people of Oyo State can examine those records and determine whether they represent progress.

Let the APC bring its record. Let Makinde bring his record. Let the people compare both.

And while APC is busy asking Governor Makinde to account for alleged public expenditure, I would respectfully advise the party to also spend some time defending and clarifying the controversies surrounding its own political leadership.

There have been serious public questions and allegations concerning issues involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, including allegations and controversies that have attracted attention in the United States. There has also been continuing public controversy surrounding the NYSC certificate issue. These are matters that have generated substantial public discussion, and Nigerians deserve clear explanations wherever legitimate questions arise.

The APC cannot demand accountability from others while becoming uncomfortable whenever questions are directed at its own camp.

Accountability must be a two-way street.

If the APC believes Governor Makinde should explain every naira allegedly connected to his political ambition, then the same standard should apply to everybody. No political party should demand transparency from its opponents while treating questions concerning its own leaders as forbidden territory.

And let us be clear: having a presidential ambition is not a crime.

Governor Makinde is entitled to aspire to the highest office in the land. Whether Nigerians will accept him is a decision that belongs to Nigerians. The APC does not possess the power to cancel his ambition through press statements.

The electorate will decide.

Therefore, instead of predicting that Makinde’s ambition will fail, APC should concentrate on convincing Nigerians why its own candidate deserves another opportunity.

Tell Nigerians what you have achieved. Tell them what you intend to do differently. Defend your record. Explain the controversies surrounding your leadership. Present your candidate and face the electorate.

That is politics.

Insults, threats and allegations without evidence are not politics; they are simply desperation.

Governor Makinde should therefore remain focused and allow his record to speak. If the APC believes that record is poor, it should campaign against the record rather than resorting to childish name-calling.

2027 will not be won by the party that shouts the loudest. It will be won by the candidate and political movement that Nigerians trust enough to vote for.

So, APC, enough of the noise.

Bring your evidence. Bring your achievements. Bring your candidate. Bring your plans for Nigeria.

And let Nigerians decide.