The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, has said Nigeria’s crude oil must provide measurable benefits to Nigerians.
Makinde stated this on Monday in Abuja while speaking at the commissioning of the APM National Campaign Office for the 2027 presidential election.
He called for greater transparency across the petroleum value chain, particularly in the production, allocation of crude oil to domestic refineries, refining, transportation, distribution, taxation and retailing of petroleum products.
The governor questioned the rationale behind pricing crude supplied to Nigerian refineries as though the country did not produce the commodity.
He said, “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?”
According to him, Nigerians should derive direct benefits from the country’s natural resources through a transparent system rather than through interventions at the petrol pump 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 proposed “Reset Nigeria” agenda was aimed at addressing opaque systems and rebuilding public confidence in government.
He added, “Government must show its workings. Nigerians must be able to see how decisions are made and how national resources are managed.”
The governor also urged Nigerians to participate in discussions on the country’s future, saying the proposed agenda 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 campaign office would be open to Nigerians willing to contribute to discussions on how to improve the country.
Earlier, the APM National Leader and Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, endorsed Makinde’s candidacy, describing him as a capable administrator with a record of managing resources effectively.
Mohammed said, “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.”
He described Makinde as “a mobilizer, a manager of resources, an engineer par excellence” who had achieved significant results with limited resources in Oyo State.
The APM National Chairman, Dr Yusuf Dantalle, said the party’s “Reset Nigeria” agenda was designed to promote competence in governance rather than ethnic or religious considerations.
Dantalle described the campaign office as the “engine room” of the party’s 2027 presidential campaign and said the APM would focus on issues and practical solutions.
He said the Makinde-Lawal Daura ticket would prioritise governance, national security, economic development and national unity.
“Rest assured that Makinde will be President to all Nigerians as he has ably demonstrated as Governor of Oyo State,” Dantalle said.
He added that the experience of the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Alhaji Lawal Daura, in the security sector would be brought to bear in tackling insecurity.
Dantalle promised that the party would run an issue-based campaign devoid of bitterness and divisive politics.
Also speaking, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Mr Peter Obi, described Makinde as qualified to serve as President of Nigeria.
Obi said his presence at the event demonstrated that political differences should not make politicians enemies, adding that opposition parties could work together towards producing a new Nigeria.
Similarly, the Secretary of the PDP Board of Trustees and former Governor of Niger State, Dr Aliyu Babangida, urged opposition parties to collaborate in the interest of the country.
Babangida said discussions were ongoing among opposition parties towards supporting a single presidential candidate, adding that attention would be given to a candidate from Southern Nigeria after eight years of northern presidency.
The event was attended by the APM vice-presidential candidate, Alhaji Lawal Daura; former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; legislators; members of the party’s Board of Trustees and National Working Committee, as well as other party supporters.