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• Says 2027 poll between APC, Nigerians •Denies receiving N50bn FG fund for Ibadan airport
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, has questioned President Bola Tinubu’s failure to transmit power to Vice President Kashim Shettima after spending more than three weeks outside the country on vacation, saying he would comply strictly with the constitutional requirement if elected President in 2027.
Makinde, who spoke at a town hall meeting organised by the Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation in Katsina on Tuesday, also declared that the 2027 election would be a contest between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Nigerians, rather than merely between political parties.
The Oyo State governor also used the occasion to dispute a claim attributed to Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that the Federal Government provided N50 billion for the upgrade of the Ladoke Akintola International Airport, Ibadan, insisting that the project was wholly funded by his administration.
Tinubu left Abuja for Europe on August 30 for what the Presidency announced as a three-week working vacation. The Presidency subsequently said he had extended the vacation by a few days and would return at the weekend.
Makinde anchored his criticism on Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution, which provides that whenever the President is proceeding on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of the office, he shall transmit a written declaration to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives, after which the Vice-President performs the functions of President as Acting President. The Constitution further provides that where the President fails to transmit the declaration within 21 days, the National Assembly may, by simple majority in each chamber, mandate the Vice-President to act.
“I have looked at the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and, of course, as a state governor, I also operate under that Constitution. Anytime I have to travel out, not for work but on vacation, for more than 21 days, I transmit power to the Deputy Governor. Why is this not happening at the national level?” Makinde added: “Section 145 of the Constitution provides for the President to transmit a written declaration to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives when proceeding on vacation or otherwise unable to discharge the functions of office.
“If the President is unable, whether through sickness, a medical trip or incapacitation, to function, we are all human. Anything can happen to anybody at any time. If that happens, the President should also transmit power to the Vice President.
“I promise you that, as your President, I will follow the Constitution to the letter. If I am not going to be available, if I am on vacation, I will transmit power to the Vice President. Record this and hold me accountable.”
The Presidency, however, said on Monday that Tinubu had remained in touch with Nigeria and continued directing the affairs of the country during his vacation. It cited, among other actions, his directive for an independent investigation into the reported deaths of 37 miners following their detention by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State.
It also said the President had delegated Shettima to represent him at some official engagements, including the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
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Turning to the 2027 election, Makinde said the contest should be viewed beyond the rivalry among the APM and other opposition parties.
“And for the election, I maintain and repeat it: it won’t be APC versus APM, or APM versus ADC, or ADC versus NDC. It will be APC versus Nigerians,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), saying: “Please get your PVC and show the APC that Nigeria is bigger than individuals. It is bigger than even the systems that have held us down.”
Makinde said his administration, if elected, would seek to “reset” the economy, education and security architecture, arguing that Nigeria needed an economy capable of operating round the clock.
“We are determined to reset our economy. Yes, people will argue that Nigeria is rich in natural resources. But natural resources are not enough.
You must have skills and knowledge, and you must also have intensive production. Our economy must work 24/7. Otherwise, if our economy shuts down at 7 or 8 o’clock in the evening, we cannot compete with economies that are running 24/7.
“We want to reset our education. We want to measure the data that we are being given. We want to know how many out-of-school children we have and how we get them back into school. We also want to reset the security architecture in Nigeria.
“Together, let us embark on the Reset Agenda so that we have a Nigeria that will work for everybody, irrespective of tribe, religion or which corner of Nigeria you decide to stay in.”
Makinde also rejected the claim that Oyo State received N50 billion from the Federal Government for the expansion of the Ibadan airport.
“My attention was drawn to an interview granted yesterday by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, where he said that the President gave N50 billion to Oyo State to upgrade the Ibadan Airport to international standards.
“I want to say that claim is false. The President did not give me or Oyo State N50 billion to upgrade the Ibadan Airport. The Ibadan Airport upgrade project is being undertaken 100 per cent with the funds of Oyo State,” Makinde said.
