The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential campaign organisation has challenged President Bola Tinubu to explain how his administration intends to deliver the ambitious targets in the All Progressives Congress (APC) manifesto, questioning the feasibility of its promises on economic growth, electricity, housing and job creation.
The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) also accused the APC of borrowing ideas from the RESET Nigeria agenda of its presidential candidate, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, arguing that adopting similar policy language does not guarantee the capacity to implement the proposals.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the organisation’s Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Nnanna Ihediwa, said the similarities between the APC manifesto and Makinde’s policy framework raised questions about the ruling party’s approach to governance.
The campaign organisation particularly cited the APC’s emphasis on building “a Nigeria that works for all Nigerians”, which it said reflected a central message of Makinde’s RESET Nigeria agenda.
However, it questioned whether the Tinubu administration had the political commitment and policy capacity required to translate such promises into tangible improvements in Nigerians’ lives.
APM questions APC’s targets on growth, power and jobs
The MDPCO identified several targets in the APC manifesto that it said required clearer implementation plans.
These include achieving six per cent annual economic growth, generating 10,000 megawatts of electricity, constructing 200,000 housing units and establishing an industrial hub in each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The organisation also highlighted the manifesto’s commitments to expanding non-oil exports, creating one million export-linked jobs for young Nigerians and deploying an additional 20,000 teachers.
It argued that delivering these targets would require a credible strategy for expanding productive capacity, generating employment and managing public finances.
The campaign organisation also questioned how the government intended to finance its commitments while managing Nigeria’s existing debt obligations, calling for greater clarity on its borrowing and economic management plans.
It said the administration’s promises should be assessed against its performance since taking office in 2023, rather than judged solely by the ambitions contained in its manifesto.
Makinde’s RESET agenda focuses on household welfare
The opposition campaign organisation also criticised the impact of the administration’s economic policies on households, particularly rising living costs and fuel prices.
It argued that the promise of a country that works for all Nigerians would require stronger measures to improve purchasing power, reduce economic hardship and create sustainable employment.
Contrasting the APC’s economic approach with Makinde’s RESET Nigeria agenda, the organisation said the latter placed citizens’ welfare at the centre of economic planning.
“Makinde and APM’s philosophy, as contained in the RESET Nigeria Manifesto, is fundamentally different. It is people before statistics, human welfare before fiscal triumphalism, and economic growth measured not by government revenue but by improved livelihoods, jobs, purchasing power and shared prosperity,” the statement said.
The MDPCO maintained that the 2027 general election would give Nigerians an opportunity to compare the policy proposals of the competing parties and decide which candidate could better address the country’s economic and social challenges.
It urged voters to support Makinde and the APM in the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027, describing the campaign as an opportunity to “Reset Nigeria”.
The claims about similarities between the two manifestos and the feasibility of the APC’s targets represent the position of Makinde’s campaign organisation. The statement did not include a response from the APC or the Tinubu administration.
