The Director-General of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) Presidential Campaign Council, Felix Hassan Hyat, has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of running down Nigeria’s development through mismanagement and lack of political will and focus.

He said the APM presidential candidate, Engineer Seyi Makinde, represented peace, freedom and the political framework needed to rescue the country.

Hyat spoke on Saturday at the flag-off of the party’s presidential campaign held at the Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Memorial Stadium in Bauchi.

According to him, Makinde believes in a united Nigeria and has offered himself to lead the country away from division and decline and restore hope to Nigerians.

He said the APM had come to Bauchi to tell Nigerians that the country, which he claimed had been run down since the APC assumed power in 2015, was ready for a new direction.

Hyat urged Nigerians to support the APM and use their votes to return power to the people, stressing that the party’s campaign was built on the people’s ability to reclaim their country.

The campaign council director-general also commended the APM National Leader and Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, whom he described as a bridge-builder, committed and patriotic Nigerian, and a man of peace and freedom.

He recalled that Mohammed had served the country as a senator and stood up at a critical moment in its history to prevent dictatorship and defend democracy.

Hyat said the campaign flag-off in Bauchi marked the beginning of a national movement to restore good governance, peace and prosperity. He urged supporters across the country to join the party’s rescue mission.

Also speaking, the National Chairman of the APM, Yusuf Dantalle, said the party was on a mission to reset democracy, governance, the economy and the social life of Nigerians and return power to the people.

Dantalle thanked the party’s national leader and host, Governor Bala Mohammed, for accepting the party and providing a level playing field for all political parties in the state.

He said he witnessed the practice of democracy on arrival in Bauchi, noting that political parties were free to display their offices, billboards, posters and campaign materials.

He commended the governor for setting an example of democratic practice, saying democracy had been restricted in many parts of the country.

According to him, “In APM, we are here to reset democracy, governance, economy and the social life of all Nigerians. We want you to own the process,.”

He stressed that the APM was not interested in imposing candidates at any level but wanted to give the people the opportunity to determine who would lead them.

Dantalle urged youths, women and other party members to embrace the change the party represented, repeatedly asking whether they were ready to stand their ground for a better Nigeria.

He also expressed concern over the socio-economic challenges facing the country, particularly insecurity, poverty and poor living conditions, saying the APM was determined to address them.

The national chairman acknowledged the presence of party leaders, members of the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee, state chairmen, senatorial, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly candidates, women leaders, youth groups, journalists and security agencies.

He urged supporters to remain committed and united as the party began its nationwide campaign ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In her remarks, the APM National Women Leader, Inna Chiroma, urged Nigerians to reject the APC, accusing the party of making life difficult for citizens since 2015, a situation she said had worsened under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which began in 2023.

She expressed optimism that the APM, through its presidential candidate, Makinde, would provide the country with a new direction.

The Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abubakar Y. Suleiman, assured the party that members of the Assembly were solidly behind Makinde and the entire APM structure ahead of the 2027 general elections. (Saturday Tribune)