Makinde Campaign Accuses FG Of ‘N15tn Highway Scandal’, Demands Audit

The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) has accused the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government of violating procurement and environmental regulations in the award of the N15 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway contract, demanding a comprehensive audit of the project.

The organisation said the recent realignment of the highway route announced by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, had raised fresh questions about the project’s planning, engineering design, transparency and cost.

Addressing a media conference on Tuesday in Abuja, the MDPCO Director-General, Felix Hyat, described the development as evidence of alleged technical and planning failures.

Hyat faulted Umahi for reportedly denying an earlier announcement that President Tinubu had directed the route’s realignment, saying video evidence of the minister’s statement contradicted the denial.

He also questioned the government’s explanation that climate change and environmental challenges necessitated the adjustment, arguing that the development raised concerns about whether the required environmental impact assessment had been conducted.

The MDPCO further alleged that the contract was awarded in 2024 without an approved engineering design, an open and competitive bidding process or specific budgetary provision and statutory appropriation by the National Assembly.

It also raised conflict-of-interest concerns over alleged links between the contractor’s corporate group and a firm whose board reportedly includes individuals connected to the Presidency.

“The circumstances of the award of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway give a glimpse into the capricious and arbitrary manner with which the Tinubu Presidency rules Nigeria,” Hyat said, calling for accountability over the project’s conception, award and execution.

The campaign organisation also questioned whether the route realignment would reduce the project’s cost, demanding the publication of engineering assessments, alternative-route analyses, payment records and details of expenditure incurred so far.

It said the government must explain the financial implications of the change, particularly amid economic hardship, rising food and transport costs, higher healthcare expenses and increasing university tuition fees.

In its demands, the MDPCO called for an independent engineering assessment of the realignment, a comprehensive audit of the entire project and full disclosure of procurement and payment records, including the government’s plans for further execution.

The opposition platform also alleged that the contract had been designed as a possible channel for financing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) election expenses, insisting that the allegation required transparent investigation.

The organisation urged Nigerians to reject Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election and support the Allied People’s Movement candidate, Seyi Makinde, whom it presented as a credible alternative.

The party acknowledged the country’s need for infrastructure, but deplored what it described as opaque contracts and expensive excuses.

The APM insisted that the country’s future should take precedence over the President’s personal ambition.