The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation has called on the Tinubu government to submit the N15 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project to a full audit, saying the recent realignment of the route has left too many unanswered questions about planning, procurement and cost.
In a briefing in Abuja, APM Director-General Felix Hassan Hyat said the Tinubu government owed Nigerians a clear account of why the route was changed, how much has already been spent, and whether the contract sum will be reviewed downward. He warned that the handling of the project has deepened public concern about accountability in the use of public funds.
Hyat took particular aim at the explanation offered by Minister of Works David Umahi, who attributed the realignment to climate change and environmental challenges. According to Hyat, that explanation “begs the question” and raises doubts about whether proper technical and environmental assessments were done before the contract was awarded.
The campaign organisation alleged that the Tinubu government awarded the contract in 2024 without an approved engineering design, a competitive bidding process, or budgetary provision and statutory appropriation by the National Assembly. It also raised questions about the relationship between the contractor’s corporate group and another firm whose board allegedly includes individuals linked to the Presidency — a situation it said points to a possible conflict of interest.
Going further, the group alleged the project was structured as a conduit to finance APC election expenses, though it offered no evidence to support the claim.
The organisation demanded that the Tinubu government publish all procurement and payment records, commission an independent engineering assessment of the Ondo realignment, and open the project’s total cost, expenditure to date and execution plan to a comprehensive audit.
“We demand that the President Tinubu-led government should publish the relevant engineering assessment, alternative-route analysis, accompanying cost implications and comprehensive audit of the work and amount so far spent,” Hyat said.
He stressed that the campaign was not against road construction, but questioned why the coastal highway was being prioritised while many existing federal roads remain in poor condition. “Nigeria is in dire need of infrastructure, no doubt, but not opaque contracts and expensive excuses!” he declared.
The organisation urged Nigerians to vote against President Tinubu in 2027 and back Seyi Makinde, the APM presidential candidate, describing him as a leader capable of building consensus across party and regional lines. “The future of Nigeria must take precedence over President Tinubu’s personal ambition,” Hyat said.
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