Makinde’s unhinged 2027 ambition cannot be founded upon his unguarded and unjustified attacks against our great Party or the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that has launched the boldest and most ambitious reform effort in history
By Felix Morka
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has become the leading but rather shoddy drummer for his 2027 political ambition. While our democracy affords Makinde the liberty to his political aspiration, however, engaging in reckless executive flippancy, at the expense of the job he was elected to do as Governor, is a disservice to the good people of Oyo State.
Speaking at a recent event in Ibadan, Makinde blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the turmoil in his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other opposition parties. At the same time, Makinde bragged that a decision to cooperate with his Osun counterpart to advance the interest of his moribund party in south-west Nigeria would be beyond the influence of APC. If Makinde knew how best to keep APC’s influence at bay, exactly why has he not executed that strategy in “protection” of his party nationally?
Like the proverbial bad workman that blames his tools, Makinde and his co-confused leaders of the PDP should quit pointing fingers at the APC and take full responsibility for their disgraceful failure to handle the party’s implosion and decay.
Makinde’s unhinged 2027 ambition cannot be founded upon his unguarded and unjustified attacks against our great Party or the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that has launched the boldest and most ambitious reform effort in history to transform our country’s economy and build a solid foundation for progress.
Our country now exporting more than we are importing with a trade surplus of nearly N7 billion at the end of Q2 of 2024, improved revenue-to-debt service ratio from 97 percent in 2023 to 68 percent in 2024, with foreign reserve upwards of $40billion, with the economy expanding by 3.19%, achieving impressive non-oil export diversification, with one of the world’s most profitable stock exchange markets, with a massive infrastructure revolution underway, with remarkable innovation in welfare and social security evidenced by the Nigerian Credit Corps, National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), upward minimum wage review and massive cash transfers to over 25 million of Nigeria’s poorest, among other interventions, our country is on the cusp of prosperity and enduring greatness.
Governor Makinde has failed to prove himself as an effective leader. His lackluster performance as Governor speaks for itself, and undermines his credibility. Instead of prioritizing the needs of Oyo people who elected him to tackle their local issues, he has chosen to divert his attention and squander the state’s resources in pursuit of unhinged 2027 ambition. Makinde must know that Nigeria’s scale and complexities demand more than his vain and self-indulgent ambition.
Makinde cannot even speak for the people of Oyo state regarding their future electoral choices or decisions let alone speak for Nigerians. Makinde and his partisan cohorts are only worried stiff that the looming transformation and prosperity from President Tinubu’s economic policies will consign their 2027 ambitions and calculations into the trash-bin of political irrelevance.
We urge Nigerians to continue to stand firm in support of President Tinubu as the administration’s reform policies begin to yield the desired benefits for all Nigerians.
Morka, Esq. is the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC)