Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has formally accepted his nomination as the presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), at an event held on Saturday in Ibadan, the state capital.
In his acceptance speech,Makinde pledged to rebuild Nigeria through practical reforms, transparent governance and people-centred leadership.
The governor said his ambition was not driven by personal interest but by the urgent need to restore hope and rebuild confidence in Nigeria.
He declared “I stand before you today with deep humility and a profound sense of responsibility as I accept the nomination to serve as the presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement for the Federal Republic of Nigeria,”
Makinde said Nigeria possessed the resources and capacity to improve the lives of the people.
“I believe that we possess the capacity to rebuild our economy through honesty, discipline and practical reforms. When I speak of practical reforms, I mean reforms that directly improve the lives of ordinary Nigerians,” the governor said.
Speaking of the country’s oil and gas sector, Makinde said,
“The NNPC must be reformed into a lean, efficient and commercially driven institution through proper corporate restructuring, stronger partnerships and institutional reforms,”
The presidential candidate also spoke on food security, wondering why a nation so blessed with abundant resources still has millions in poverty.
“It is unacceptable that a nation blessed with abundant resources still has millions of citizens going to bed hungry. We will begin by gathering accurate and reliable data on our agricultural capacity so that we can identify and address gaps in production, processing, storage and agricultural logistics,” he stated.
He promised to be the leader that listens,learns and acts
“I do not stand before you promising miracles. I am an engineer, not a miracle worker. What I promise is leadership that listens, leadership that learns, leadership that acts, and leadership that understands that the true purpose of government is to improve the lives of ordinary citizens,” the governor said.
A delegation of Bauchi State led by Gov Bala Muhammad represented by his deputy said Makinde possesses the qualities required to lead Nigeria.
“We are here on behalf of the government and people of Bauchi State to support, endorse and celebrate the emergence of our dear distinguished brother, Oluwaseyi Makinde, as the presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement,” he said.
“We firmly believe that he is the leader Nigeria needs at this critical moment in our nation’s history. We are confident that he possesses the vision, competence, experience and commitment required to move Nigeria forward and deliver the leadership our people deserve,” he added
The National Chairman of the APM, Yusuf Dantalle, who addressed party delegates affirmed the aspiration of Makinde to contest as the presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Dantalle described Makinde’s emergence as a defining moment in the party’s history and the beginning of what he termed a national rescue mission.
