Provide proof of N250bn NLNG fund paid to states, MDPCO challenges Presidency

The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) has challenged the Presidency to provide documentary evidence that the N250 billion Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) dividends allegedly accruable to states have been paid, demanding the release of relevant financial records to clarify the controversy.

MDPCO is the campaign organisation of the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and his running mate, Mr Lawal Daura, for the 2027 polls.

The organisation said the Federal Government should publish receipts, Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) decisions and official communications showing the amounts received, approved for distribution and paid to the states.

ALSO READ: NLNG dividends: Makinde stands by claim, demands accountability from FG

MDPCO stated its position through its Director of Strategic Communications, Mr Richard Ihediwa, in Abuja on Sunday, while reacting to the Presidency’s response to allegations by Makinde that the dividends meant for states were being withheld.

“If the Tinubu Presidency claims that Engr. Makinde is wrong in his assertion that the N250 billion NLNG dividend meant for states is being withheld, we challenge President (Bola) Tinubu to directly tell Nigerians if the said dividends have been paid to the states rather than resorting to personal attacks on the APM presidential candidate”, the organisation said.

It added, “We therefore challenge the Presidency to publish the relevant NLNG dividend receipts, Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) decisions and official communications establishing the amounts received, the sums approved for distribution and the timing of the proposed payments to states.”

MDPCO argued that the Presidency should address the substance of Makinde’s allegation instead of citing figures that, according to it, did not establish whether the disputed funds had been released to the states.

It insisted that Nigerians deserved clear answers to three questions: how much NLNG paid in dividends during the period under discussion, how much was credited to the Federation Account and how much was approved for distribution to the states.

MDPCO maintained that citing NLNG’s cumulative dividend payments over the past 25 years would not resolve the issue, arguing that historical totals could not establish the amount received within a specific period or determine whether a particular payment had been approved, delayed or withheld.

The body stated, “Historical totals cannot, by themselves, establish the amount received during a specific period and the sum available for distribution.

“It does not answer whether a particular payment was proposed, approved, received, delayed or withheld. Those questions can only be settled by the relevant financial records.”

The organisation also dismissed the Presidency’s reported argument that allocating N250 billion to each of the 36 states would amount to N9 trillion, a sum it said NLNG had never paid as a single dividend.

According to MDPCO, the calculation did not address the central question of the amount actually in dispute, insisting that the relevant official records should determine the facts.

It further questioned whether the federal government had any constitutional authority to withhold funds accruable to states in a federation, urging the Presidency to explain its position on the matter.

The organisation accused the Tinubu administration of avoiding accountability over the issue, insisting that demanding explanations on public funds was a legitimate civic right and should not be treated as an offence because Makinde was seeking the presidency.

It also defended Makinde’s conduct, describing him as a politician committed to an issue-based campaign and accusing the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration of relying on propaganda and misinformation as its strategy.

The MDPCO said it stood by Makinde’s description of the Nigerian economy under President Bola Tinubu as a “voodoo economy”, arguing that official claims of improvement did not reflect the economic difficulties experienced by citizens, alleging that the Presidency was unsettled by what it described as the “growing acceptance of Makinde’s Reset Nigeria agenda across the country.”