Allied Peoples Movement presidential candidate and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has called for a comprehensive investigation into the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 crash near the Igbokoda Naval Base in Ondo State, which reportedly claimed at least 25 lives.
Makinde, through the Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation, said the crash had again raised questions about the condition of military equipment and the welfare of personnel under the President Bola Tinubu administration.
In a statement issued by the campaign’s Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa, the organisation commended members of the Armed Forces for their sacrifices but argued that recurring military aircraft crashes required deeper scrutiny.
“The crash of military aircraft in Nigeria under the Tinubu administration is a serious national issue that again raises questions on the subjects of equipping as well as welfare of our military and other security agencies under this administration, despite the enormous resources at its disposal,” Ihediwa said.
The campaign recalled the August 2023 Nigerian Air Force helicopter crash in Shiroro, Niger State, during a casualty evacuation mission involving wounded troops.
It argued that, given the resources available to the country, Nigeria’s military should rank among the best equipped and remunerated in the world.
Makinde’s campaign said the welfare, training and operational capacity of the military and other security agencies would receive priority under a Makinde-Daura administration.
The organisation also sympathised with the military and families of those who died in the Ondo crash, while urging Nigerians to continue supporting and praying for the Armed Forces.
It called for an investigation capable of establishing the immediate and underlying causes of the crash and preventing a recurrence.
The statement also turned political, urging Nigerians to use the 2027 election to reject the Tinubu administration and support Makinde on the APM platform.
