• APM candidate commissions campaign office in Abuja
• Says domestic crude supply must benefit Nigerians
• Bala Mohammed, Peter Obi back Makinde’s presidential bid
Allied People’s Movement (APM) presidential candidate and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has called for greater transparency in Nigeria’s petroleum industry, insisting that the country’s crude oil resources must deliver tangible and measurable benefits to Nigerians.
Makinde spoke yesterday in Abuja while commissioning the Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Office, ahead of the 2027 general election.
The APM candidate called for transparency across the petroleum value chain, covering crude oil production, domestic crude allocation, refining, transportation, distribution, taxation and retail margins.
He questioned the pricing of crude supplied to Nigerian refineries, arguing that domestic crude should reflect Nigeria’s status as an oil-producing country.
“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?” Makinde asked.
He said Nigerians should benefit directly from the country’s crude resources through policies embedded in the system rather than through opaque interventions after costs and inefficiencies had accumulated.
“That benefit should be built into the system from the beginning, through the price at which crude oil is supplied for domestic refining — not through an opaque intervention at the petrol pump after all the costs, inefficiencies and distortions have been added,” he said.
Makinde said his Reset Nigeria agenda was aimed at ending opaque systems and restoring public confidence in government.
“Government must show its workings. Nigerians must be able to see how decisions are made and how national resources are managed,” he said.
‘Join Reset Nigeria movement’
The governor called on Nigerians to make the Reset Nigeria agenda a nationwide conversation, saying it should not be restricted to politicians.
“Reset Nigeria cannot be a conversation among politicians alone. It must become a conversation in our homes, markets, schools, offices, farms, factories and communities,” he said.
Makinde said the movement would listen to the concerns of traders, farmers, business owners and young Nigerians affected by rising transportation, production and living costs.
He said the campaign office would remain open to Nigerians seeking a better-functioning country and urged citizens to join the movement.
Bala: Makinde has what Nigeria needs
Earlier, APM National Leader and Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, endorsed Makinde’s candidacy, describing him as one of the country’s outstanding human resources.
“Whoever disregards us is at his own peril. We are here to Reset Nigeria and we are bringing in one of the best human capitals this country has produced — that is Makinde,” Mohammed said.
He praised Makinde’s performance in Oyo State, describing him as a “mobilizer” and “manager of resources” who had achieved significant results with limited resources.
Mohammed said the campaign office, provided by Makinde, demonstrated the seriousness of the party and its candidate ahead of the 2027 election.
APM National Chairman, Dr Yusuf Dantalle, said the Reset Nigeria project was aimed at providing a new political direction for the country.
He said the movement was building a platform where competence, rather than ethnicity or religion, would determine leadership.
Dantalle described the campaign headquarters as the “engine room” of the party’s campaign, saying the APM had fielded credible candidates across the country.
He said the Makinde/Daura ticket offered Nigerians an alternative focused on good governance, security, economic prosperity and national unity.
“Rest assured that Makinde will be President to all Nigerians as he has ably demonstrated as Governor of Oyo State,” he said.
Dantalle also praised the APM vice-presidential candidate, Alhaji Lawal Daura, saying his experience in the security sector would strengthen efforts to tackle insecurity.
He pledged that the party would run an issue-based campaign centred on practical solutions, competence and the future of Nigeria rather than bitterness, division and hatred.
Obi backs Makinde
In his goodwill message, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, described Makinde as qualified to become Nigeria’s president.
Obi said his presence at the event demonstrated that politicians belonging to different political parties did not have to be enemies.
He expressed optimism that opposition parties could work together to produce a new political direction for Nigeria.
Similarly, Secretary of the PDP Board of Trustees and former Niger State Governor, Dr Aliyu Babangida, called for greater cooperation among opposition parties to address the country’s challenges.
Babangida said opposition parties were working towards supporting a single presidential candidate, adding that discussions were focused on a candidate from Southern Nigeria after eight years of northern leadership.
The event was attended by APM Vice-Presidential candidate, Alhaji Lawal Daura; former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; legislators; members of the APM Board of Trustees and National Working Committee, as well as other party leaders and supporters.
