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Seyi Makinde Opens Campaign Office, Vows To Reset Nigeria With Transparency And Accountability
The APM on Monday opened its presidential campaign office in Abuja, with the presidential candidate of the party in the 2027 general election, Governor Seyi Makinde, pledging to reset the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Makinde said the objective of his “Reset Nigeria” agenda was to build a system of government in which public institutions were transparent, leadership accountable and citizens fully aware of how decisions affecting their lives were taken.
“It means that we stop accepting systems that nobody can explain. It means that the government must show its workings. It means that Nigerians must know how decisions are made, how public resources are used and who benefits from them,” he added.
The former governor also dismissed suggestions that his presidential ambition should be discounted because of the strength of established political forces, recalling that he faced similar scepticism before winning the governorship election in Oyo State.
He argued that dismissing his campaign amounted to disregarding the aspirations of millions of Nigerians struggling with rising prices, unemployment and worsening business costs.
“They may discount one candidate. But they cannot discount millions of Nigerians united behind a better future,” Makinde said.
He called on Nigerians, including traders, farmers, workers, business owners and young people, to participate actively in shaping the country’s future and contribute ideas to the ‘Reset Nigeria’ movement.
“This is our country. These are our resources. We count. And together, we will Reset Nigeria,” he stated.
…Insists Petroleum Pricing Shady
At the event, Makinde declared that Nigeria’s crude oil resources must deliver direct and measurable benefits to citizens, insisting that his proposed petrol pricing framework does not represent a return to the controversial fuel subsidy regime.
Makinde said the country must rethink how its crude oil is priced for domestic refining, arguing that Nigerians should not be made to bear costs that disconnect the country’s petroleum wealth from the welfare of its citizens.
He explained that the benefits of Nigeria’s oil wealth should be incorporated into the system from the point at which crude is supplied to local refineries, rather than through what he described as opaque interventions at the petrol pump after costs, inefficiencies and other distortions had accumulated.
“Today, we are not just opening a campaign office. We are opening another door for Nigerians to join the conversation about the future of our country. A conversation about what must change. A conversation about how we can make Nigeria work for every Nigerian. That is what Reset Nigeria is about,” he stated.
Responding to questions over his recent comments on petrol pricing, Makinde stressed that he was not advocating the restoration of the old subsidy regime.
“That is not my position. Let me explain my position very simply with this example. If a community grows food, the people of that community should not have to buy that food as though it travelled halfway around the world before reaching them.
“So why should crude oil supplied to Nigerian refineries be priced as though Nigeria does not produce crude oil? Nigeria’s oil must provide a real and measurable benefit to Nigerians,” he said.
The presidential candidate called for complete transparency across the petroleum value chain, from crude oil production and domestic allocation to refining, transportation, distribution, taxes and retail margins.
According to him, Nigerians should be able to understand how the final pump price of petrol is determined, who receives what portion of the proceeds and where inefficiencies are adding to the cost ultimately paid by consumers.
Makinde said the broader objective of his “Reset Nigeria” agenda was to build a system of government in which public institutions were transparent, leadership accountable and citizens fully aware of how decisions affecting their lives were taken.
Obi: Makinde Qualified to Lead Nigeria
Meanwhile, at the occasion which was attended by opposition figures, the NDC presidential candidate, Obi, declared that Makinde remains abundantly qualified to be president of Nigeria.
He also expressed his readiness to work with any presidential candidate who wins the 2027 election ‘genuinely’.
“We want a Nigeria of unity and inclusion; we have a candidate who is contesting for President today, my dear brother Makinde. Is he qualified to be President? Yes, he is qualified.
“What we are doing today, for us, is not about desperation but we want Nigerians to make their choice. All of us should come together to build a new Nigeria. We can’t continue the way we are going, our people are hungry and poor.
“Whoever wins genuinely from a free, fair, and credible election, we will all work together to save this country from collapse,” Obi said.
The NDC presidential candidate called for unity among politicians, stressing that the politics of bickering and bitterness should be discarded.
“That’s why I’m here to show solidarity and assure you that we are changing the system. We don’t want politics of quarrel, politics of disagreement. Let our quarrel be to feed our people. We want a Nigeria where the child of nobody can be somebody without knowing anybody,” he added.
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