The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his claim that Nigeria’s economy has emerged from a “dark tunnel,” insisting that the country continues to grapple with widespread poverty, unemployment, insecurity and rising living costs.
In a press statement dated November 2, 2026, and signed by its Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Nnanna Ihediwa, the organisation described the President’s assessment of the economy as misleading, arguing that it was inconsistent with the hardship experienced by Nigerians.
The MDPCO cited what it described as worsening poverty, business closures, food insecurity and declining purchasing power, claiming that more than 140 million Nigerians were living in poverty, while over 60 million faced acute food insecurity.
It also blamed the administration’s economic policies for high fuel prices, which it put at between N1,500 and N2,000 per litre in parts of the country, and argued that insecurity had continued to disrupt farming, trade and other economic activities.
On infrastructure, the organisation cited an estimated $2.3 trillion deficit, arguing that the scale of the gap required sustained annual investment over several decades.
The campaign organisation also raised concerns over the country’s debt profile, putting Nigeria’s accumulated debt under the Tinubu administration at N166.7 trillion. It questioned the returns on government borrowing and called for greater clarity on the investments and projects funded by the loans.
The criticism followed Tinubu’s remarks in Mecca, where he reportedly said the Nigerian economy had come out of the dark tunnel and acknowledged that power ultimately comes from God, who can also take it away.
Reacting to the President’s religious remarks, the MDPCO said Nigerians hoped he would reflect on the challenges facing the country and reconsider his political ambition ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The organisation urged Tinubu to withdraw from the race and support the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Engr. Seyi Makinde, whom it described as a credible alternative.
It said Makinde’s RESET Nigeria agenda was anchored on economic opportunities, affordable living, effective security, quality education, accountable governance and national unity.
The MDPCO expressed confidence that Nigerians would support the proposed alternative leadership, insisting that the country needed a new direction to address its economic and developmental challenges.
