A chieftain of the The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and former member of the Oyo state House of Assembly, Honorable Femi Josiah, has described the latest attack by the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Governor Seyi Makinde’s presidential ambition as a desperate attempt by a frightened opposition party to manufacture controversy where none exists.
The APC, in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Wasiu Sadare, had earlier accused Makinde of wasting Oyo State resources on his presidential ambition and threatened that the governor would be made to account for the alleged expenditure after leaving office.
But Josiah in a statement obtained by westernmirror.com.ng on Tuesday, said the APC’s claim was not only reckless but also an indication that the opposition party was struggling to come to terms with the political significance of Makinde’s decision to contest the 2027 presidential election.
The party challenged the APC to produce specific evidence of any state resources allegedly diverted by Makinde for his presidential campaign instead of making baseless allegations designed to generate political headlines.
Josiah wondered why APC was not making the same ‘frivolous’ statement during the recent Ekiti and Osun elections where the party participated as both incumbent and opposition with reports of ‘massive’ vote buying saying: “Oyo APC can best be likened to a toothless dog that can only bark without any capacity to bite”.
He also cautioned APC against embarking on what he called “politics of blackmailing and outrage” saying a house built on deception and lies lacks a foundation to stand upon and will usually crumble in no time”.
According to Josiah, the APC’s failure to identify any specific government appropriation, expenditure, contract or transaction allegedly used to fund Makinde’s political activities exposed the hollowness of the accusation.
It said it was particularly curious that the APC would suddenly discover the language of accountability while refusing to engage the electorate on the substantive issues of governance, development and the record of its own administration at both the federal and state levels.
Josiah maintained that political ambition was not a crime and that Makinde, like every other eligible Nigerian, was constitutionally entitled to seek elective office, provided he complied with the relevant electoral laws.
He described the APC’s characterization of the APM as “structureless” as political bravado, arguing that the real test of political structure would be determined by voters at the polls and not through press statements.
The former Special Assistant on Community Relation to the governor said the APC should concentrate on presenting its own candidate and explaining what it intended to offer Nigerians instead of attempting to intimidate or delegitimise an opposition candidate through threats of prosecution and retrospective accountability.
Josiah further argued that the APC’s statement amounted to an attempt to prejudge the outcome of the 2027 election by portraying Makinde’s candidacy as doomed before Nigerians had even cast their ballots.
He said the governor’s decision to leave the comfort of a second-term governorship and enter the presidential contest had evidently unsettled political opponents who had expected him to remain confined to Oyo State politics.
“Accountability is not a political weapon to be deployed against opponents. If there is evidence of wrongdoing, the appropriate institutions should investigate and act according to the law.
“But threatening a political opponent with accountability simply because he has chosen to contest an election and gaining more popularity is nothing more than political intimidation,” Josiah said.
Josiah also challenged the APC to explain why it considered Makinde incapable of leading Nigeria while simultaneously spending considerable political energy attacking his presidential ambition.
“If the APC genuinely believes that Governor Makinde has no political relevance beyond Oyo State, then it should have no reason to be this fearful and anxious about his presidential aspiration,” he said.
He described the APC’s attack as evidence that the governor’s emergence as the APM presidential candidate had altered the political calculations ahead of 2027, forcing opposition parties to confront a contest they had initially hoped to dismiss.
He urged Nigerians to judge Makinde and every other presidential aspirant on their records, programmes, competence and vision rather than on political propaganda and false narratives.
He said the 2027 election would ultimately be decided by Nigerians and not by political press statements.
Josiah also advised the APC to be prepared to defend its own record described as the ‘dark’ era of governance before the electorate instead of attempting to distract attention with unsubstantiated allegations against a popular opposition candidate.