Nigeria's 2027 Race: Makinde Challenges Tinubu on Army Expansion Budget
As Nigeria marches toward the 2027 presidential election, a familiar pattern emerges: the opposition demands accountability while the incumbent defends its record. Seyi Makinde, presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), has thrown down the gauntlet, challenging President Bola Tinubu's administration to produce the 2026 budget provisions for the expansion of army divisions. The challenge, delivered at the APM North-Central Town Hall Meeting in Lafia, Nasarawa State, cuts to the heart of Nigeria's persistent insecurity and economic malaise.
What did Makinde say about the army expansion plan?
Makinde questioned the strategic planning behind the military expansion, arguing that tackling insecurity requires more than public announcements. He stated plainly:
“I was looking at the budget for 2026. I was looking for the item in that budget relating to the expansion of those army divisions. I did not see it. If they have it in the budget that they prepared for 2026, let them bring it out. So, you cannot just wake up and say, well, without any plan, I am setting up or expanding army divisions to tackle insecurity. There has to be a lot of planning that will go into this.”
His remarks underscore a broader critique: that the federal government's approach to security and economics lacks coherence. For a nation grappling with insecurity in the North-Central and beyond, the question of whether military expansion is backed by real funding and strategy is not academic. It is a matter of life and death.
How does Makinde compare his record in Oyo State?
The APM candidate contrasted the federal approach with his own administration's budget preparation in Oyo State, where consultations with residents across the state's geopolitical zones had already begun ahead of the 2027 budget. He argued that this exercise enables the government to hear directly from residents and determine their priorities before finalising the spending plan.
On the economy, Makinde acknowledged that states are receiving more money from the Federation Account but questioned whether the additional revenue has eased the hardship facing Nigerians.
“Yes, we have more money, but has it translated to fighting hunger in our society? The answer is no,”he said.
Makinde provided specific figures to back his claims. He said Oyo State depended on federal allocation for more than 80 per cent of its revenue when he assumed office in 2019, but that his administration reduced the figure to 65 per cent by 2022. He claimed the figure had since climbed back to almost 80 per cent, blaming what he called the Federal Government's “voodoo economy”.
“By 2023, when they came on board with their voodoo economy, the resultant effect is that today Oyo State is back to almost 80 per cent dependence on federal allocation. That is their voodoo economy,”Makinde said.
What is the APM's 'Reset Nigeria' agenda?
On his presidential bid, Makinde said his proposed ‘Reset Nigeria’ agenda could be implemented within four years, covering security, education, the economy and the country's socio-political environment. He invoked a historical precedent to make his case:
“The reset agenda can be completed in four years. After all, we had someone who was head of state in this country for 10 months, and he was able to end military rule and usher in the democracy that we now enjoy in Nigeria.”
He also promised that an APM administration would run a transitional government of national unity from May 29, 2027, which he said would culminate in “new players and a new agenda for Nigeria's sustainable development.”
What did other APM leaders say?
The APM vice-presidential candidate, Lawal Daura, said the party's proposed reset was driven by what he described as Nigerians' desire for tangible improvement in their lives.
“We don't need to say that, for quite some time, people have been given the opportunity to rule this nation without really having an idea of how to fix it. I need to borrow a common phrase: it is always motion without movement. Ours is going to be motion with movement for the betterment of Nigerians and Nigeria,”Daura said. He said the party's approach would be built around sincerity, honesty, commitment and results, citing poverty and insecurity among the problems that had continued to affect Nigerians.
APM National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, described the North-Central as critical to Nigeria's unity and development, while citing poor roads and insecurity as evidence of the region's challenges. He also criticised the rising cost of petrol and electricity supply, urging Nigerians to hold the Federal Government to its earlier promise on electricity.
“Oyo State is your laboratory to evaluate the capability of our presidential candidates,”he said, asking voters to assess Makinde's record in the state.
He urged Nigerians to support the APM's candidates, saying the party's agenda would include a new security architecture, a different approach to education and an economy driven by data, science and logic.
Why does this matter beyond Nigeria's borders?
For observers across Africa, the Nigerian election cycle is more than a domestic affair. Nigeria's stability is Africa's stability. Its choices on security, federalism and economic management reverberate across the continent, from the Sahel to the Horn. The APM's challenge to the status quo, whatever its electoral prospects, forces a necessary debate: are African governments planning for the future, or merely reacting to crises?
As Ethiopia knows well, the strength of a nation lies not in the size of its army but in the coherence of its vision. Nigeria's 2027 election will test whether its leaders can move beyond rhetoric and deliver the planning, funding and unity that the continent's most populous nation demands.