2027: Show us budget for new Army divisions, Makinde challenges Tinubu

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Gov Seyi Makinde

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By Luminous Jannamike

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ABUJA — Presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, Seyi Makinde, has challenged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to produce the 2026 budget provision for the expansion of Army divisions, questioning the planning behind the move amid persistent insecurity in the North-Central.

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Makinde said tackling insecurity required more than announcements, arguing that any decision to expand military formations must be backed by proper planning and funding.

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Speaking Monday at the APM North-Central Town Hall Meeting in Lafia, Nasarawa State, Makinde also criticised the Federal Government’s economic policies, saying increased allocations to states had not translated into relief from hunger and claiming that Oyo State’s dependence on federal allocation had risen again under the Tinubu administration.

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“I was looking at the budget for 2026. I was looking for the item in that budget relating to the expansion of those army divisions. I did not see it.

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“If they have it in the budget that they prepared for 2026, let them bring it out. So, you cannot just wake up and say, well, without any plan, I am setting up or expanding army divisions to tackle insecurity. There has to be a lot of planning that will go into this,” he said.

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The APM candidate contrasted the federal approach with his administration’s budget preparation in Oyo State, where he said consultations with residents across the state’s geopolitical zones had already begun ahead of the 2027 budget.

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He said the exercise enabled the government to hear directly from residents and determine their priorities before finalising the spending plan.

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On the economy, Makinde acknowledged that states were receiving more money from the Federation Account but questioned whether the additional revenue had eased the hardship facing Nigerians.

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“Yes, we have more money, but has it translated to fighting hunger in our society? The answer is no,” he said.

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Makinde said Oyo State depended on federal allocation for more than 80 per cent of its revenue when he assumed office in 2019, but that his administration reduced the figure to 65 per cent by 2022.

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He claimed the figure had since climbed back to almost 80 per cent, blaming what he called the Federal Government’s “voodoo economy”.

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“By 2023, when they came on board with their voodoo economy, the resultant effect is that today Oyo State is back to almost 80 per cent dependence on federal allocation. That is their voodoo economy,” Makinde said.

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On his presidential bid, Makinde said his proposed ‘Reset Nigeria’ agenda could be implemented within four years, covering security, education, the economy and the country’s socio-political environment.

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“The reset agenda can be completed in four years. After all, we had someone who was head of state in this country for 10 months, and he was able to end military rule and usher in the democracy that we now enjoy in Nigeria,” he said.

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He also promised that an APM administration would run a transitional government of national unity from May 29, 2027, which he said would culminate in “new players and a new agenda for Nigeria’s sustainable development.”

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The APM vice-presidential candidate, Lawal Daura, said the party’s proposed reset was driven by what he described as Nigerians’ desire for tangible improvement in their lives.

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“We don’t need to say that, for quite some time, people have been given the opportunity to rule this nation without really having an idea of how to fix it. I need to borrow a common phrase: it is always motion without movement. Ours is going to be motion with movement for the betterment of Nigerians and Nigeria,” Daura said.

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He said the party’s approach would be built around sincerity, honesty, commitment and results, citing poverty and insecurity among the problems that had continued to affect Nigerians.

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APM National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, described the North-Central as critical to Nigeria’s unity and development, while citing poor roads and insecurity as evidence of the region’s challenges.

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Dantalle also criticised the rising cost of petrol and electricity supply, urging Nigerians to hold the Federal Government to its earlier promise on electricity.

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“Oyo State is your laboratory to evaluate the capability of our presidential candidates,” he said, asking voters to assess Makinde’s record in the state.

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He urged Nigerians to support the APM’s candidates, saying the party’s agenda would include a new security architecture, a different approach to education and an economy driven by data, science and logic.

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