The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Oyo South Senatorial District, Aderemi Oseni, has donated N10m to support the building project of the Zumuratul Faiydah Tijaniyah Ibrahimiyyah of Nigeria, urging voters to prioritise competence and performance over religious affiliation in the 2027 general elections.

Oseni, who represents Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, made the donation and appeal while addressing members of the Islamic organisation in Ibadan on Tuesday. He cautioned against attempts to make religion the determining factor in the choice of political leaders ahead of the elections.

The lawmaker argued that governance and legislative performance should be the primary considerations in assessing candidates, rather than their religious beliefs. He maintained that Nigeria’s political discourse should focus on the capacity of aspirants to address the country’s challenges and deliver meaningful development.

Oseni said religion remained an important institution for promoting moral values, strengthening communities and encouraging peaceful coexistence, but warned against using it to determine political choices. He urged the electorate to scrutinise candidates’ records, competence and ability to deliver on their promises.

The APC chieftain said his contributions to humanitarian causes and religious organisations had never been restricted by religious differences. According to him, “Before politics, we have been contributing to humanity, development and religious organisations, irrespective of faith. To the glory of God, we have contributed to mosque infrastructure, supported various Islamic initiatives and non-interest cooperatives, among others.”

The federal lawmaker added that no fewer than 13 people had been sponsored for the next Hajj pilgrimage, citing the initiative as part of his support for members of the Muslim community. He maintained that his interventions in religious and community development reflected his commitment to supporting people across different backgrounds.

Oseni, who is seeking election to the Senate in 2027, subsequently urged  members of the organisation to support his ambition and vote for APC candidates in the general elections. He urged them to consider the records and capacity of candidates when making their electoral choices.

Earlier, Fodilat Sheikh Abdulrasheed Olafimihan said he had heard about Oseni’s contributions to his federal constituency and Oyo State. He expressed appreciation for the lawmaker’s interventions,  assuring  him of the group’s support and votes in the forthcoming elections.

The campaign organisation of the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has accused supporters of the Allied Peoples Movement governorship candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi, of vandalising APC campaign billboards in parts of Ibadan.

The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) called on the police and other security agencies to investigate the alleged vandalism and arrest those responsible.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the organisation’s Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, said billboards bearing the images of Alli and his running mate, Hon. Soji Adedeji, were vandalised in Mokola, Sango, Monatan-Olodo Road, Odo-Ona and the Toll Gate-Iwo Road section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, among other locations.

The organisation linked the alleged vandalism to an earlier incident in which it said Alli’s wife and two other APC candidates were attacked in Ibadan last week.

Describing the incidents as disturbing, SSACO accused supporters of Adekanmbi, who is contesting on the platform of the APM, of attempting to intimidate APC candidates ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

The statement read, “The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation is raising the alarm over vandalisation of our candidates’ billboards in many parts of Ibadan by supporters of Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi, the APM governorship candidate in Oyo State.

“This came after Senator Alli’s wife and two other APC candidates were attacked in Ibadan, last week.”

The organisation further alleged that the development reflected political tension surrounding the forthcoming election, accusing Governor Seyi Makinde and Adekanmbi of failing to discourage conduct capable of threatening peaceful political engagement.

It said there was no justification for the alleged destruction of campaign materials, insisting that all candidates had the right to campaign without intimidation.

“We warn APM hoodlums to desist from this reprehensible act, and refrain from stoking tension in the polity. Oyo State is a peaceful state. Governor Seyi Makinde and Hon. Adekanmbi should immediately call their goons to order. Oyo State does not deserve violence from them,” the statement added.

SSACO urged the Oyo State Commissioner of Police and heads of other security agencies to identify those responsible for the alleged vandalism and ensure that they were prosecuted.

The organisation said the alleged incidents reinforced its earlier concerns about the conduct of the APM, adding that security agencies should act promptly to prevent further attacks on candidates and destruction of campaign materials.

It also appealed to APC members and supporters across the state to remain calm and avoid retaliation.

“The SSACO urges all APC members and supporters in Oyo State to be calm and avoid taking laws into their hands. They should resist provocation by Adekanmbi’s hoodlums,” the statement said.

The organisation added that Alli, if elected, would implement his Oyo AHEAD governance blueprint, which it said was designed to restore the state’s fortunes and accelerate development.

The reported spread of diphtheria across several local government areas of Oyo State has triggered fresh questions over the protection of children against vaccine-preventable diseases, with the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation accusing the state government of poor immunisation performance despite billions of naira in development funding.

The organisation, in a statement issued by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, called on Governor Seyi Makinde to urgently strengthen the state’s response to the outbreak and explain what had been done with funds provided to improve immunisation and primary healthcare delivery.

It cited childhood immunisation figures which, according to the organisation, put Oyo at the bottom of the six South-West states, with coverage rising from 51.3 per cent in 2024 to 55 per cent in the 2025–2026 figures it referenced.

The campaign organisation said the reported outbreak, alongside the figures, raised concerns about whether vaccination services were reaching children in vulnerable and underserved communities.

Diphtheria is a potentially fatal bacterial infection that commonly affects the nose and throat. It can cause breathing difficulties, heart complications and other serious health problems, particularly when diagnosis and treatment are delayed. Vaccination remains a key means of preventing the disease.

The organisation listed Atisbo, Ibadan North-West, Oyo West, Akinyele, Saki, Egbeda, Oriire, Ibadan North, Ibadan South-West, Iwajowa, Ona-Ara, Atiba, Lagelu, Ogbomosho North, Surulere and Oluyole among the local government areas reportedly affected.

However, it did not provide a breakdown of confirmed cases, fatalities or the dates of the reported infections in the statement.

It added that every child deserved protection against vaccine-preventable diseases and urged the government to demonstrate that its immunisation programme was effectively reaching communities at risk.

The organisation also called on the Director of Public Health to explain the factors behind the reported outbreak and account for resources spent on immunisation and disease prevention.

Oyo trails regional counterparts
The campaign organisation’s concern centres largely on the immunisation figures it cited, which suggest that Oyo has made slower progress than its South-West counterparts.

According to the figures, Oyo’s coverage increased by just 3.7 percentage points, from 51.3 per cent in 2024 to 55 per cent in the 2025–2026 survey figures referenced by the organisation.

Ogun recorded an increase from 52.1 to 63.9 per cent, Ondo rose from 59.8 to 84 per cent, and Osun improved from 54.4 to 78.1 per cent.

Across the South-West, the organisation said, immunisation coverage increased from 58.2 to 72.5 per cent.

The figures, if confirmed against the underlying survey reports and their methodology, would place Oyo behind its five regional counterparts and raise questions about the reach of its vaccination interventions.

The organisation argued that the state should explain why its progress remained comparatively limited, particularly when funding had been made available to strengthen immunisation services.

₦9.9bn in project receipts

The campaign organisation also questioned the results achieved under the World Bank-supported Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services (IMPACT) Project.

It noted that Oyo is among 12 states participating in the project’s Immunisation Plus component, alongside Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Plateau and Sokoto.

Citing available audited financial records, the organisation said cumulative World Bank/International Development Association funds received by Oyo under the project stood at approximately ₦9.832bn as of December 31, 2024.

It added that the state’s contribution of ₦41m and miscellaneous and interest income of ₦13.45m brought cumulative receipts to approximately ₦9.886bn.

The organisation argued that the reported funding and immunisation figures warranted a detailed review of how the resources had been deployed and what improvements they had delivered.

“Billions of naira in development financing must translate into measurable improvements in public health,” it said, adding that the financing carried obligations and should deliver value to the people.

It demanded the publication of updated project financial and implementation reports, including subsequent disbursements, expenditure by component, planned vaccination targets, actual coverage achieved and measures taken to reach underserved communities.

The organisation’s demands place the focus not only on the money received but also on the outcomes achieved, including whether children in communities with limited access to healthcare are being reached by routine vaccination programmes.

Calls for stronger outbreak response
Beyond the funding questions, the organisation urged the state government to work closely with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and relevant development partners to contain the reported outbreak and prevent further transmission.

It called for a stronger and more transparent public-health response, including an explanation of the challenges affecting immunisation delivery.

The organisation also questioned the continued engagement of a retired Primary Health Care Board IMPACT Programme Manager involved in project implementation, arguing that the scale of the programme and concerns about its outcomes made transparency in staffing and management essential.

It did not provide further details of the individual’s role or the circumstances surrounding the engagement in the statement.

“Oyo State has qualified medical and public-health professionals whose expertise should be effectively deployed to strengthen the system. We must insist on accountability and competent programme management,” it said