Makinde Can Change Nigeria, Says Campaign Director

The Director-General of the Allied Peoples Movement Campaign Organisation, Felix Hyat, urged Nigerians to not fear a presidency led by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde. He believes that Makinde has what it takes to tackle the country's many problems.

Hyat spoke on Wednesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the North-Central zonal state coordinators of the Makinde/Daura Campaign Organisation. He expressed confidence that the ticket can provide the leadership needed to improve Nigeria’s situation.

He mentioned that Nigeria cannot keep going down the same path, pointing to issues like insecurity and economic hardship as major challenges facing the nation.

The Makinde Campaign DG said, "This journey begins at the polling units and moves to the ward headquarters, local government headquarters, state headquarters and, ultimately, the national level. Politics is local, and our work must be localised. Our mandate is to go to where the people are and share the most important product we have in Nigerian politics today: our presidential candidate, Governor Seyi Makinde."

"Those who have spoken have done justice to who he is. The Makinde/Daura ticket is a fantastic one. We have never had such a ticket in this country, and all of us who have been called upon to participate in this important mission of actualising it must count ourselves fortunate. My task is simply to stress the obvious and remind us of certain things."

He added, "The first reminder is that our candidate is contesting on a party platform. That platform has a banner, a symbol and leaders at various levels of our national constitutional structure. Therefore, the importance of state chairmen of the party remains very significant and must be respected at all times."

Hyat emphasized that no party can claim to be a party without candidates. He pointed out that the second most important group of people is the candidates themselves, while the third group consists of those responsible for delivering the mandate.

He called on campaign coordinators to work together to secure victory for Governor Seyi Makinde in the 2027 presidential election. He urged them to boost grassroots mobilization throughout the North-Central region and beyond, highlighting the need for commitment, sacrifice, and urgency before the election.

Hyat said, "Elections are fought, won and lost at the polling units. Our polling unit managers and agents can determine our fate. Therefore, if I know that an agent can determine my fate, I must also be careful about the kind of agent I appoint. If I appoint an agent who is not capable of doing the job, I should not be surprised by the outcome."

"Therefore, we must take this message to the people who will vote. We must tell them that these representatives have abandoned them. I am sure they did not abandon the people without a reason. If they abandoned them for something, let them disclose what that is so that the people can make informed decisions."

Hyat agreed with the positive views about their candidate. He said, "He is not an ordinary person. He has seen it all in the field of security, both in Nigeria and around the world. Therefore, Nigerians should have nothing to fear about the candidature of Governor Seyi Makinde. He is a decent, great person. Yes, a Nigerian who can walk and work without being aided."

He continued, "We need leadership in Nigeria from somebody who can work and walk without being aided. A Nigerian leader should be able to enter a car and travel from here to Jos. I am sure if most of the presidential candidates try that, they will be travelling with a retinue of doctors."

The Director-General of the Makinde Presidential Campaign Council urged Nigerians to support Makinde’s presidential ambition, saying the country needs new leadership to handle its issues. He is confident that the campaign will succeed in the January 16, 2027, presidential election, encouraging Nigerians not to lose hope.

Hyat also criticized political leaders who have abandoned their communities while claiming to represent Nigerians. He added that the 2027 election would show that the country belongs to its citizens.

The Deputy Director of Operations for the Campaign Council, Tony Aziegbemi, urged state directors to focus on grassroots mobilization. He described them as field commanders promoting the candidate’s agenda on the economy, education, security, and governance.

Aziegbemi blamed the APC-led Federal Government for worsening hunger and poverty, stating that 35 million Nigerians sleep hungry every night. He said, "The state directors are the ones who will take this message to our people because it is clear to every Nigerian that this APC-led administration has thrown the country and Nigerians into massive poverty."

He continued, "So much so that every night, 35 million Nigerians go to bed hungry. This is not my figure; it is the figure of the National Bureau of Statistics, a government agency. It has never happened in the history of this country. This APC-led administration has made it happen."

Aziegbemi concluded, "Our job is pretty straightforward and simple. We need to reach at least 15 million of those hungry people who go to bed hungry every night. And it is not because they are lazy. It is because of the lack of logic and common sense in the economic policies of the APC administration."

He promised that a Makinde/Daura government would work to end hunger and poverty, assuring Nigerians that no citizen would go to bed hungry under their leadership.