2027: Makinde promises tax breaks, end to militancy under APM’s RESET agenda

The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has promised to introduce tax incentives for businesses, improve education and security, and address militancy in the Niger Delta if elected President in 2027.

Mr Makinde made the promises on Tuesday at the party’s South-south town hall meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, where he presented his RESET agenda as a proposed alternative to the policies of the President Bola Tinubu administration.

He said the agenda was designed to restructure Nigeria’s economic, educational, security and political systems to address persistent poverty and improve citizens’ living conditions.

“The RESET agenda is simply to ensure that if Nigeria has not worked well for you as an individual, the way it should, then let us reset Nigeria,” he said.

Mr Makinde, who is also the governor of Oyo State, said his proposed education reforms would focus on developing the skills and knowledge required to build a thriving middle class and expand economic opportunities, particularly for young people.

He said his experience as an entrepreneur had shown that the government alone could not generate the employment and economic expansion Nigeria needed.

“I started my own company at the age of 29. I employed engineers. I took the risk on behalf of the state because government alone cannot provide the employment and expansion that we need,” he said.

The APM candidate promised to encourage entrepreneurship and provide tax breaks to businesses, citing his administration’s record of increasing Oyo State’s internally generated revenue without raising taxes.

“The records are there,” he said.

Mr Makinde criticised the federal government’s tax policy, arguing that taxation should target wealth rather than worsen the burden on poor Nigerians.

He said the tax law passed by the government was inconsistent with productivity and accused the authorities of prioritising revenue collection from poor citizens.

“You are supposed to tax wealth. You are not supposed to tax poverty. But they are only interested in taxing poverty,” he said.

The governor also questioned the effectiveness of some of the Tinubu administration’s economic interventions, including the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and the naira-for-crude arrangement.

He asked whether the policies had translated into lower transportation costs for millions of Nigerians.

Mr Makinde further challenged the government to publish its petroleum pricing template, arguing that this would enable experts to examine the figures and suggest ways to make fuel pricing more affordable.

“Provide Nigerians with your pricing template. We have Nigerians who can tell us how to make it work for millions of Nigerians,” he said.

Mr Makinde also repeated his allegation that the federal government had spent dividends paid by Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) into the Federation Account without distributing the states’ and local governments’ shares.

He said the money should be shared among the three tiers of government in accordance with the Constitution.

“Anything that goes into the Federation Account, according to our Constitution, should be shared between the federal government, state governments and local governments. Let them provide the amounts meant for the states and local governments in Nigeria,” he said.

The governor insisted that he stood by his earlier claim that the federal government had withheld nearly N250 billion due to each state from the NLNG dividend payments.

The Presidency has since rejected his allegation. Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga described the claim as false, according to a statement reported by news organisations on Sunday.

Mr Makinde also pledged to address insecurity, including militancy in the Niger Delta, saying that although militancy had declined in the region, the underlying problem remained unresolved.

He said his administration would work towards ending militancy and improving Nigeria’s security architecture.

Daura, Bala seek support for APM ticket

The party’s vice-presidential candidate, Lawal Daura, said the ticket’s RESET agenda was intended to break what he described as Nigeria’s recurring cycle of poor governance and economic hardship.

He said the programme would focus on education, the economy, security and citizens’ general welfare.

Mr Daura, a former director-general of the State Security Services (DSS), said Nigerians deserved to live with dignity and should not be condemned to poverty in a country with abundant resources.

He also described the APM as a patriotic party committed to putting Nigeria first, urging voters to consider the party’s proposals ahead of the 2027 elections.

The party’s National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, said the country needed to reconsider its political and economic arrangements to address insecurity, poverty, inequality and hopelessness.

Mr Dantalle said kidnapping and other security challenges reflected deeper socio-economic and political problems that required more than isolated interventions.

He argued that the proposed reset should lead to a country in which citizens could travel, visit farms and go about their daily activities without fear.

READ ALSO: 2027: Why Nigerians should replace Tinubu with Makinde – APM Campaign DG

Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, also addressed the gathering, urging Nigerians to assess the candidates based on their records, ideas and capacity to address the country’s challenges rather than their age or financial resources.

Mr Mohammed said the South-south region had significant economic potential but needed leadership capable of translating its resources into improved living conditions.

Mr Makinde also expressed confidence that the APM could secure support in the region, arguing that the opposition needed to unite ahead of the 2027 elections.

He alleged that efforts were being made to prevent opposition parties from working together but maintained that the South-south would support his party in the next election.