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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has raised the red flag over President Bola Tinubu’s directive for the release of funds due to the regional development commissions, questioning its timing barely four months to the 2027 general election.
The opposition party demanded full disclosure of allocations to the commissions, projects to be executed, their locations, costs and contractors, insisting that the release of public funds must be accompanied by transparency, independent oversight and strict accountability.
President Tinubu had on Monday directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, to ensure that all funds accruing to the regional development commissions were released as and when due.
The President, who spoke at the North Central Stakeholders Development Summit organised by the North Central Development Commission (NCDC), also warned the commissions against corruption, politicisation, waste and white-elephant projects.
But the APM, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Abubakar, said although it was not opposed to funding the commissions, the timing of the directive and what it described as the absence of clear safeguards had heightened concerns over how the money would be deployed.
It consequently demanded that the Federal Government publish the allocation to each commission and details of projects to be funded before releasing the money.
“Is it not curious that President Tinubu’s directive is coming just a few months to the election, a clear six months after the N1.3 trillion budget for the Regional Development Commissions was passed by the National Assembly in March this year?” the party asked.
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It alleged that the funds could be diverted for electoral purposes, a claim for which it provided no evidence in the statement.
“President Tinubu must come clean on public concerns that his directive is designed to enable the APC to warehouse funds for its plot to financially induce voters,” APM said.
“We therefore demand that Mr. President make public the allocation to each regional commission, the proposed projects, their locations, the specific amounts, the contractors involved and due diligence certification before any money is released to the Commissions.”
The party also urged Nigerians to closely monitor the activities of the commissions and called on their management to resist and report any attempt to deploy the agencies for purposes outside their statutory mandates.
The regional bodies are the North Central Development Commission, South East Development Commission, South West Development Commission, South South Development Commission, North East Development Commission and North West Development Commission.
APM further expressed confidence in the presidential ambition of its candidate, Seyi Makinde, saying Nigerians would support the party in the January 16, 2027 presidential election.
It said no attempt at “inducement, intimidation or institutional manipulation” would prevent its supporters from mobilising, voting and protecting their votes during the election.
