By Kazeem Waris
The Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation, MDPCO, has described the three-day warning strike by Nigerian workers as a referendum on President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term, accusing the administration of worsening economic hardship and failing to protect citizens from the impact of its policies.
The campaign organisation said the labour action had brought into sharper focus the rising cost of living, shrinking purchasing power and other economic pressures confronting Nigerians ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
In a press statement by its Director of Strategic Communication, Richard Ihediwa, yesterday, the organisation said the issues contained in Labour’s Charter of Demands reflected what it described as the consequences of the Tinubu administration’s economic policies.
“The warning strike is a direct referendum on a failed government; a stark measure of how ill-conceived and ill-implemented economic policies have triggered widespread poverty in Nigeria,” the organisation said.
The campaign questioned why the President should seek another term in office when, according to it, Nigerians were still grappling with the effects of economic reforms introduced by his administration.
“We ask, how can a government that failed to shield its citizens from the consequences of its policies, credibly ask the same citizens to renew its mandate?” it asked.
MDPCO also criticised the Federal Government over what it described as delayed and repeatedly rolled-over capital budget implementation, continued borrowing, inadequate transparency and accountability, unfulfilled promises and what it called limited benefits from the removal of fuel subsidy.
The organisation further faulted the administration’s celebration of its economic reforms, arguing that the gains being cited by government had yet to translate into improved living conditions for many Nigerians.
“Indeed, the continued celebration by the APC government of supposed gains of its economic reforms, when those claimed gains remain largely invisible in the daily lives of average Nigerians is self-delusional,” it said.
The campaign called for what it described as people-centred economic reforms, transparent social safety nets and policies designed to protect livelihoods while increasing domestic production.
It said the proposed Makinde/Daura presidency would implement its “RESET Nigeria” agenda, built around inclusiveness, national production, security, transparency and accountability.
“The Makinde/Daura Presidency with its RESET Nigeria Agenda offers our nation a clear alternative with well thought-out, data-driven and people-friendly policies,” the organisation said.
Makinde, the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, and his running mate, former Department of State Services Director-General, Lawal Daura, have positioned the “Reset Nigeria” agenda as the centrepiece of their 2027 campaign.
The campaign organisation said Nigerians across party lines were increasingly identifying with the Makinde/Daura platform ahead of the 2027 election, which it described as an opportunity to “RESET Nigeria” and pursue policies it said would improve economic conditions and governance.
The organisation’s statement comes amid the campaign’s ongoing nationwide mobilisation ahead of the 2027 poll, with the team recently announcing plans for town hall meetings across the six geopolitical zones to engage citizens on economic and security concerns.
