The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) has demanded a comprehensive investigation into the crash of a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, Ondo State, which claimed the lives of all 25 people on board.
The aircraft, which was on a routine flight from Benin to Lagos, crashed near the Naval Base at Igbokoda on Monday.
Authorities said 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board. President Bola Tinubu has also ordered a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash.
In a statement on Tuesday by its Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa, the MDPCO described the incident as a tragedy and said it raised fresh questions about the equipment and welfare of Nigeria’s military and other security agencies.
The campaign organisation, however, accused the Tinubu administration of failing to adequately equip and cater for the military, saying the latest crash was “yet another depressing commentary on the spate of calamities” confronting the country.
It recalled the August 2023 crash of a Nigerian Air Force MI-171 helicopter near Chukuba in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State while on a casualty evacuation mission.
The Air Force had said at the time that the aircraft crashed while evacuating troops wounded in a bandit attack.
“Given the resources available, our military ought to be among the best equipped and remunerated across the world,” the MDPCO said.
While commending the patriotism and sacrifice of military personnel and other security agencies, the organisation said a Makinde-Daura administration would make the equipping, training and welfare of the armed forces a priority.
“The MDPCO assures Nigerians that under a Makinde-Daura RESET Nigeria Presidency, equipping, training and wellbeing of the military and other security agencies will be a top priority of government,” it said.
The campaign organisation also condoled with the families of the victims and urged Nigerians to continue praying for the country and its armed forces.
It subsequently called on voters to support Allied Peoples Movement presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, in the 2027 election, saying his administration would “reset Nigeria to a nation that works for the good of all.”
