The Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Engineer Seyi Makinde, has criticised the federal government for blaming him for the recent abduction of students and teachers by terrorists in his state.
The governor spoke his mind when he led a high-powered delegation to Bauchi State for strategic closed-door consultations.
The meeting, hosted by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed on Friday, featured deep policy discussions on national security, systemic governance failures, and the creation of a formidable, constructive opposition alliance capable of offering Nigerians an alternative in the next election cycle.
Emerging from the private session alongside APM National Chairman Yusuf Dantalle, Makinde directly challenged the structural contradictions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), arguing that state governors are systematically set up to take the fall for national security failures.
Authority vs. responsibility
Addressing journalists regarding the recent spikes in rural banditry, Makinde maintained that while the public automatically holds state chief executives accountable for local security breaches, the central command structure of Nigeria’s security apparatus leaves governors completely powerless.
“When the Chibok incident happened, President Jonathan was blamed. People all over the world demanded that President Jonathan bring back the girls,” Makinde noted. “But when incidents happen in a state today, it is the governor and the state government that are blamed, even though governors do not have the authority to direct security agencies.”
The APM presidential hopeful asserted that if his party secures the mandate of Nigerians in 2027, top-tier constitutional reforms will be initiated to decentralise policing and ensure that operational authority directly matches executive responsibility at the state level.
Host Governor Bala Mohammed echoed these sentiments, emphasising that their discussions focused heavily on engineering a credible opposition front to safeguard Nigeria’s democratic balance.
APM slams deportation, budget scandals
Adding teeth to the opposition’s stance, APM National Chairman Yusuf Dantalle lambasted the federal government’s foreign policy and domestic legislative oversight.
Dantalle pointed to the ongoing mass repatriation of Nigerians from South Africa as a diplomatic failure, noting the irony given Nigeria’s historic anti-apartheid sacrifices.
“It is very shameful that Nigerians are being chased out of countries like South Africa… while our government appears unconcerned. It is embarrassing,” Dantalle stated.
He further referenced the chaotic legislative gridlock at the National Assembly, pointing to the selective silencing of lawmakers attempting to probe the controversial insertion of phantom agencies into the national budget.
“Nobody will save Nigeria unless we choose to save it ourselves,” the party chairman added.
Relief over the Oriire school rescue
The Bauchi summit coincided with the breaking news of the successful military rescue of the 44 surviving students and academic staff abducted from the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State after 57 gruelling days in captivity.
Reacting to the development via Channels Television, a visibly emotional Makinde described the rescue as a massive collective relief for the people of Oyo State.
“I think it’s a big relief for all of us, and we’ll use the opportunity to say thank you to our service commanders, the Nigeria Police, the DSS, the military, and the high command, and of course the President, for pushing really hard to have this done,” Makinde remarked, adding that he would issue a comprehensive policy statement on the rescue operations once he returns to Ibadan.
Read Also: Oyo govt denies paying ransom for abducted schoolchildren
