The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has called on President Bola Tinubu to withdraw from the 2027 presidential election and support its presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde.
In a statement issued on Friday, Abubakar Yusuf, the APM’s national publicity secretary, said the opposition party believes Tinubu has failed to demonstrate the capacity to provide effective leadership for Nigeria.
Yusuf alleged that Tinubu had “abdicated his official duties” to a group comprising family members, aides and other unelected individuals.
The APM spokesperson also criticised Tinubu’s absence from the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented him and delivered Nigeria’s national statement on Thursday.
He argued that the President’s absence from the gathering of world leaders demonstrated what the party described as an inability to effectively represent Nigeria’s interests at the international level.
“Mr President’s repeated absence at meetings of world leaders, particularly the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), also underscores his inability to effectively represent, propagate and drive Nigeria’s interest at the global level where he was expected to engage in high-level diplomatic discussions on matters affecting our nation,” the statement reads.
The party also questioned Tinubu’s presence in communities affected by terrorism, kidnapping and banditry, as well as his engagement with victims and their families.
“Is it not absurd that President Tinubu has never visited any of the communities being ravaged by terrorists, kidnappers and bandits? Is it not equally absurd that President Tinubu has never directly met with grieving families and victims?
“President Tinubu has never, as Commander-in-Chief, demonstrated the commitment and capacity to lead from the front on matters of security. Instead, any time there was an attack, his presidency would only issue lame statements, give directives or dispatch delegations rather than making direct on-the-ground visits himself.
“Such a languid approach to issues of insecurity under President Tinubu continues to embolden terrorists, bandits and kidnappers, resulting in the reported killing of over 600,000 Nigerians and abduction of many more by terrorist elements in the last three years.”
Yusuf also faulted the administration’s economic policies, including the removal of the petrol subsidy, tax reforms and external borrowing, claiming that they had contributed to business closures and worsening economic hardship.
“More frightening is that the future of over 250 million Nigerians has been mortgaged to foreign interests by the Tinubu administration’s reckless borrowings, which has pushed our nation’s debt burden to a scary N159.28 trillion, with nothing on the ground to show, as most of the proceeds are reported to have been diverted to private purses,” he said.
“Due to the worsening situation in the country, major multinationals have been exiting our nation in droves. Over 3.7 million Nigerian youths and professionals have fled the country in what is now known as the “Japa” phenomenon, resulting in the worst brain drain ever, especially in our education and health sectors.”
Yusuf said Nigeria could not afford another four years under what the APM described as an “insensitive and rudderless administration”.
“President Tinubu must understand that Nigeria requires a leader with full stamina, who is present, accessible and fully engaged in governance,” an APM spokesperson said.
The party then promoted Makinde, the Oyo State governor and its presidential candidate, as its preferred alternative ahead of the 2027 election.
“This is why Nigerians are increasingly rallying around APM’s presidential candidate and Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, a younger, energetic and experienced leader who is not only holding a record of sterling performance as governor of Oyo State but also the blueprint to reset Nigeria.
“The APM again urges President Tinubu to reconsider his intention to seek another term, withdraw from the 2027 presidential race and be patriotic by supporting Engr. Makinde in the overall interest of the nation.”