APM’S MAKINDE: NIGERIA NEEDS A RESET, NOT MORE OF THE SAME

Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has declared that Nigeria is not working, promising to reset the country through reforms in education, security, the economy and fiscal federalism, ValidViewNetwork reports.

ValidViewNetwork gathered that he spoke at the campaign’s town hall in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.

Findings show that the APM National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, also said the country needed a fundamental change of direction.

THE FOUR POINTS

On education, Makinde argued that natural resources cannot guarantee prosperity without the knowledge and skills to create wealth.

ValidViewNetwork reports that on security, he promised to tackle the underlying causes of insecurity, especially in the Niger Delta, where he says problems persist despite a decline in militancy.

He also said entrepreneurship development should expand the middle class.

TAXES AND MONEY

Checks by ValidViewNetwork confirm that he criticised the Federal Government’s tax policy as a burden on poor Nigerians and said wealth, not poverty, should be taxed.

He renewed his claim that nearly N250 billion due to each state from Nigeria LNG dividends was withheld, and argued that the money should be shared among the three tiers of government.

He also called for reforms to strengthen fiscal federalism so that funds paid into the Federation Account are distributed as the Constitution provides.

WHERE THIS FITS

The Uyo speech repeats themes from earlier stops. ValidViewNetwork can confirm that in Lafia, Nasarawa State, he said he could reset Nigeria in four years and would run a transitional government of national unity from May 29, 2027.

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His running mate is Lawal Musa Daura.

A FAIR READING

The diagnosis is easy. Many Nigerians, whatever their party, would agree that life has become harder. The prescription is harder. Makinde has governed Oyo State since 2019, so voters will ask how far his own record matches the reset he promises.

Voters will also ask how a federal government that withholds funds, as he alleges, would hand them over to a rival.

The economist Joseph Schumpeter described politics as a contest in which promises are the currency. The voter’s job is to check what each promise would cost.

ValidViewNetwork reports that it will continue to cover each candidate’s claims and the responses to them.