…Demands Proof Of Payments To 36 States, Dismisses Denial As Diversion
The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) has challenged the Presidency to publish financial records showing whether Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) dividends allegedly due to states have been paid, escalating the dispute over Governor Seyi Makinde’s claim that the Federal Government is withholding the funds.
The campaign organisation, which is projecting Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde’s presidential bid on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), dismissed the Presidency’s denial as an attempt to divert attention from questions surrounding the alleged withholding of the funds.
In a statement on Sunday by its
Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa, the organisation challenged President Bola Tinubu to establish whether the dividends in question had been paid to the states, rather than engage in what it described as personal attacks against Makinde.
“If the Tinubu Presidency claims that Makinde is wrong in his assertion that N250 billion NLNG dividend meant for states is being withheld, we challenge President Tinubu to directly tell Nigerians if the said dividends have been paid to the states,” the statement said.
The controversy centres on Makinde’s allegation that N250 billion in NLNG dividends meant for each of the 36 states of the federation is being withheld by the Federal Government.
The MDPCO insisted that the Presidency’s argument about NLNG’s cumulative dividend payments over the past 25 years did not resolve the specific question of how much was received during the period under discussion and what amount was approved for distribution to the states.
It demanded the publication of relevant NLNG dividend receipts, decisions of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and official communications detailing the amounts received, approved for distribution and scheduled for payment.
The organisation said Nigerians deserved answers to three questions: how much NLNG paid in dividends during the period in question, how much was credited to the Federation Account, and how much was approved for distribution to the states.
“Historical totals cannot, by themselves, establish the amount received during a specific period and the sum available for distribution,” it argued, adding that only the relevant financial records could establish whether payments had been delayed or withheld.
Responding to the Presidency’s reported argument that N250 billion for each of the 36 states would amount to N9 trillion— a sum NLNG had never paid as a single dividend—the campaign organisation said the calculation did not settle the dispute.
“The question is not whether N9 trillion was ever paid in a single transaction, but the amount that is actually under discussion as can be established by the official records,” it stated.
The organisation also questioned whether the Federal Government had constitutional authority to withhold funds accruing to the states in a federation, describing demands for accountability over public funds as a civic right.
The MDPCO further accused the Tinubu administration of running what it called a “voodoo economy”, alleging that official economic figures did not reflect the hardship experienced by Nigerians.
It maintained that Makinde had raised legitimate questions about public finance and accused the Presidency of resorting to propaganda rather than providing documentary evidence to settle the dispute.
The campaign organisation also linked the controversy to the 2027 presidential race, alleging that the Tinubu camp was unsettled by Makinde’s growing political profile and the reception of his “reset Nigeria” agenda.
The Presidency’s position, as challenged by the MDPCO, and the campaign organisation’s allegations leave the central issue unresolved in the statement: the precise amount of NLNG dividends received, the sums approved for distribution and whether any payments due to the states remain outstanding.