• Calls for economic, security reset at campaign group inauguration
• How I’ll bring petrol price down to N200 per litre, by Adebayo
• 2027: Show how you’ll fund campaign promises, Yusuf tackles political parties

The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) for the 2027 election and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has called on Nigerians to join him and his running mate, Lawal Daura, in the agenda to make Nigeria work for everybody.

Makinde, who spoke via video during the launch of the “MAD Resetter Movement” and the inauguration of RESET agent state coordinators in Lagos State, said the nation needs to reset its economy, security architecture, educational system, and socio-political environment.

“If Nigeria is not working for you right now, then you need to be a resetter,” he said.

The Oyo State governor likened claims of a rising foreign reserve to a household where the head of the house tells members they have a lot of money in a savings account, yet everyone is hungry and not being taken towards prosperity or a point where they can stand alone.

“People in that household are not being taken towards prosperity, where they can stand alone and where the youths of that household can access opportunities and live their dreams,” he said.

He wished the organisers well and encouraged them to also take the movement to other parts of Nigeria.

Also speaking at the event, former Aviation Minister and Director-General of the Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign 2027, Felix Hyat, expressed delight at what the organisers were doing.

He questioned the government’s claims that its policies are working when the people are hungry, young graduates cannot get jobs, parents cannot sleep with their eyes closed, youths are out at night trying to protect their homes from bandits and kidnappers, and companies are exiting Nigeria for smaller countries.

He said a fraction of what God has given to Nigeria is more than what is in Ghana, and asked why Ghanaians are better off today.

Relatedly, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has explained how his plan to reduce petrol prices to N200 per litre would be achieved when elected as President in 2027.

His proposal, according to him, will include a domestic crude oil supply arrangement that would prioritise local refining to shield Nigerian consumers from international market price fluctuations.

Adebayo said his proposal would involve allocating 445,000 barrels of crude oil daily to domestic refineries, which would process the crude and supply petroleum products for local consumption under a framework designed to lower petrol prices.

However, the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Dr Muda Yusuf, has accused political parties of failing to explain how they would fund their promises on jobs, fuel prices and the cost of living ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Adebayo spoke at a dinner organised by the SDP leadership yesterday, saying that Nigeria should not compel citizens earning predominantly local wages to pay international market prices for petroleum products derived from the country’s natural resources.

Adebayo said his proposed arrangement would separate crude oil intended for export from crude oil reserved for domestic consumption, saying that the proposed framework would enable Nigeria to use its crude oil resources to support domestic energy needs while retaining revenue from petroleum exports.

He, therefore, urged Nigerians to scrutinise the SDP’s economic proposals ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying that his administration would prioritise domestic energy security and policies aimed at reducing the cost of living.

Yusuf, while speaking on Channels News Business Morning programme yesterday, said political campaigns had focused largely on criticising President Bola Tinubu‘s economic reforms rather than presenting clear economic alternatives.

He added that some parties had yet to articulate their manifestos properly.