The Allied Peoples Movement has accused the Federal Government of deliberately excluding Oyo State Governor and its presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, from the flag-off ceremony for the Ibadan-Ijebu Ode federal road project, alleging that the administration is apprehensive about his growing political profile and performance.
Abubakar Yusuf, the National Publicity Secretary of the APM, made the allegation in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to Yusuf, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Federal Government were concerned that Makinde’s attendance at the event could have drawn attention to what the party described as President Bola Tinubu’s “failures as the APM presidential candidate has done far better than the President in the last three years, including the execution of road projects”.
The party maintained that Makinde had constructed more than 360 kilometres of roads across Oyo State, with additional projects expected to be commissioned in the coming months. In contrast, it alleged that President Tinubu, who hails from the Southwest, “cannot boast of initiating, executing and completing up to 250 kilometers of roads in the entire southwest since assumption of office in 2023 despite the huge financial resources at his disposal.”
The APM further claimed that the APC was unsettled by Makinde’s ability to provide leadership and mobilise governors, political leaders and other stakeholders across the country around key national issues.
The party added that Makinde’s growing popularity may have influenced President Tinubu’s decision not to attend the ceremony, stating that the fear of Governor Makinde’s popularity “could be the reason behind President Tinubu’s absence at the ceremony.”
Despite the development, the APM said its presidential candidate remained unfazed, insisting that “APC and the Tinubu Presidency must note that they cannot run from Governor Makinde forever. They must surely meet him at the poll in January 2027”.
