Hardship is Not Reform, GSM Advocates Knocks APC, Alerts Residents on Income Tax, Fuel Tax if Voted

The GSM Advocates, a support group for Governor Seyi Makinde’s sustainable development agenda, has taken a swipe at the All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring that hardship cannot be passed off as reform.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Tuesday, the group said a serious political party and a serious government can actualize meaningful reforms within three years and get it right, without subjecting citizens to untold hardship.

The group maintained that residents of Oyo State will not follow the APC into what it described as a land of hardship, hunger and economic strangulation as currently being exhibited by the APC-led Federal Government.

According to the GSM Advocates, the much-touted reform agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has failed to bring relief to Nigerians, noting that after more than two years in office, Nigerians are worse off than they were before the administration came on board.

The group argued that the failure of reform at the national level is a reflection of what obtains in all states where the APC is ruling, insisting that no APC-controlled state can point to a reform that has genuinely transformed the lives of the people.

“Hardship is not reform. A serious party, a serious government can actualize reform in three years and get it right. Our residents will not follow APC in Oyo State to the land of hardship as exhibited by APC in Nigeria,” the group stated.

The Advocates further urged citizens of Oyo State not to fall for the APC’s antics of cash inducement and vote-buying, describing it as a carrot being dangled to deceive unsuspecting voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The group specifically charged voters to interrogate the APC gubernatorial candidate, Oba Sarafa Alli, asking him to account for his contributions to the development of Oyo State in all the political positions he has held, and whether those positions were used for the benefit of the people or for personal enrichment.

“Before they come with cash to buy your conscience, ask the APC gubernatorial candidate, Oba Sarafa Alli, what he has done for Oyo State since he has been in political office. Let him tell the people one community project, one youth empowerment, one infrastructural development he facilitated to benefit the people,” the statement added.

The GSM Advocates also alerted residents on what to expect if the APC is voted into power in Oyo State, warning that residents should brace for multiple taxation, including heavy income tax, fuel tax and other anti-people policies that will further impoverish the masses.

The group maintained that Oyo State under Governor Seyi Makinde has witnessed unprecedented development, prompt payment of salaries, massive infrastructure renewal, improved security and economic expansion, which should not be truncated for an experiment with hardship.

It therefore called on residents to vote massively for continuity of good governance in Oyo State, and urged market women, artisans, youths, farmers and all well-meaning residents to remain vigilant, resist inducement and stand firm with the administration that has prioritized their welfare.