Victim killed a day before 35th birthday over alleged defection,  urges Oyo elders to caution Makinde, Adekanmbi

An All Progressives Congress (APC) member in Ibadan, Oyo State, Ridwan, popularly known as Paul Moor, has been allegedly macheted to death, with the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation accusing suspected Allied People’s Movement (APM) supporters of carrying out the attack.

The victim was reportedly killed on Friday, a day before his 35th birthday, over his defection from the APM to the APC, according to the campaign organisation.

In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) condemned the killing and called on elders across Oyo State to intervene to prevent further political violence ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The organisation also urged Governor Seyi Makinde and the APM governorship candidate, Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi, to caution their supporters against attacks on political opponents.

Expressing outrage over the incident, SSACO said political differences should not cost anyone their life, warning that the state must not be allowed to descend into violence as political activities gather momentum ahead of the elections.

The statement read, “The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) was gripped with horror as an APC member in Ward 6, Ibadan South-West Local Government, Ridwan, popularly known with the nickname Paul Moor, was macheted to death by APM hoodlums on Friday.

“The young man was gruesomely murdered for defecting from APM to APC, only 24 hours to his 35th birthday.”
The organisation described the killing as the latest in a series of alleged attacks on opposition figures in the state within the last two weeks.

It recalled that Senator Alli’s wife, Alhaja Tawakalit Alli, was allegedly attacked during a free medical outreach she organised last week.

SSACO also alleged that Hon. Folake Olunloyo-Oshinowo, the APC candidate for Ibadan North-West/South-West Federal Constituency, was attacked during a campaign, while the campaign train of Hon. Remi Oseni, the APC candidate for Oyo South Senatorial District, was also attacked on the same day.

The organisation further alleged that the campaign team of Accord Party governorship candidate, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, was attacked at Molete, Ibadan, during a campaign.

Condemning the reported incidents, SSACO said, “These ugly attacks and killing of opposition members in Oyo State are anti-democratic, senseless and unacceptable.”

It added that the constitutional rights of Nigerians to freedom of association and expression must be respected, irrespective of their political affiliations.

“Governor Makinde and Hon. Adekanmbi must always remember this fact. The state must not descend to bloodshed by their directive,” the statement said.

The organisation urged the governor and the APM candidate to prevail on their supporters to desist from violence, stressing that no political ambition justified the killing of a citizen.

It said, “The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation wishes to remind Governor Makinde and Hon. Adekanmbi that Oyo State belongs to all citizens and residents, not just APM members.”
SSACO also called on the Oyo State Commissioner of Police and other security agencies to investigate the killing, identify those responsible and bring them to justice.

“We call on the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State and other security agencies to fish out these murderers and bring them to justice. Oyo State people deserve a peaceful campaign,” the statement added.

The organisation said Senator Alli would sustain his issue-based campaign ahead of the 2027 elections and urged other political parties to embrace peaceful political engagement.

• Tompolo donates 32 campaign vehicles to APC movement

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) n Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has promised to grant local governments and local council development areas autonomy from the first day of his administration if elected governor in 2027.

Alli gave the assurance on Thursday at the inauguration of the Oyo State chapter of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, where 32 campaign vehicles donated by the group’s Grand Patron, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, were unveiled at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Oke Ado, Ibadan.

The APC candidate said the autonomy would take effect on May 29, 2027, the day he would be sworn in if he wins the governorship election.

“All our LCDAs and LGs will have autonomy on the day we are sworn in on May 29, 2027,” Alli declared.

The promise puts local government administration at the centre of Alli’s campaign message as the APC intensifies efforts to regain control of Oyo State in the 2027 elections.

The candidate also thanked Tompolo for providing the vehicles, assuring the movement that they would be put to judicious use in mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu and other APC candidates.

“We are very grateful. We know all your efforts towards ensuring that President Bola Tinubu is re-elected in 2027. I want to assure you that we will make judicious use of these vehicles and other items that may be donated by you and other support groups,” he said.

Alli said the APC was determined to return to power in Oyo State, having remained out of government in the state for several years.
“We have stayed out of government in Oyo State for too long, and we are working assiduously to ensure we take over the government in 2027,” he said.
He added that the party was working towards securing victory in the presidential, governorship, National Assembly and state House of Assembly elections.

Recalling the 2023 presidential election, Alli said Oyo State recorded the highest number of votes for Tinubu in the South-West, expressing the party’s ambition to improve on that performance in 2027.

He urged eligible voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards and turn out early on election day to vote for APC candidates.

Speaking on behalf of Tompolo, Chief Kestin Pondi said the donation of the 32 vehicles was intended to strengthen grassroots mobilisation for Tinubu and other APC candidates in the state.

Pondi expressed support for the President’s economic reforms, describing the measures as necessary sacrifices for the country’s long-term development.

“We will vote for President Tinubu to continue his reforms,” he said.
He acknowledged that reforms could be difficult in their early stages but argued that their benefits would be felt in the future.

“Reforms are never easy in the beginning. That is what we are all experiencing now. But we will enjoy later. We must pay the sacrifice today for our children to enjoy in the future,” Pondi added.

He urged residents to support Tinubu, Alli and other APC candidates, saying the movement would intensify its grassroots mobilisation ahead of the elections.

The National Coordinator of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Comrade Sunday Adekanbi Asuku, also called on supporters to mobilise voters across communities in the state.
Asuku said the time had come for the electorate to choose their leaders, urging eligible voters to collect their PVCs and participate in the electoral process.
“The time has come to elect our leaders. Some people are ganging up against your son. Yoruba, ronu o,” he said.
He also urged party supporters to embark on door-to-door campaigns to persuade voters to support the APC candidates.

In his remarks, the APC chairman for Oyo Central Senatorial District, Dr Joshua Oyebanji, who represented the party’s state chairman, Chief Moses Adeyemo, thanked Tompolo for the donation.
Oyebanji expressed confidence in the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections, saying the APC intended to contest all levels of elective offices, from the presidency to the governorship and legislative seats.

He added that the party would soon commence full-scale campaigns and urged members to remain committed to its mobilisation efforts.

The Oyo State Coordinator of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Akinjide Kazeem Akinola, said the group was targeting a stronger electoral performance for Tinubu in the state.

“Oyo State gave President Bola Ahmed Tinubu the highest vote in the South-West in 2023. We will give the president the highest vote in Nigeria in 2027. Let us work hard to achieve this,” Akinola said.

The All Progressives Congress in Oyo State has called on security agencies to investigate an attack on the campaign team of the Accord governorship candidate, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, in Ibadan, which reportedly left several supporters injured.

The incident, which occurred around noon on Wednesday in the Molete area of the state capital, has heightened tension in parts of the city.

Eyewitness accounts indicated that some suspected members of the Park Management System emerged during a street campaign by Accord supporters and attacked occupants of the vehicles conveying members of the campaign team.

The attackers were said to have wielded dangerous weapons, inflicting varying degrees of injuries on their victims.

Reacting to the incident, the Oyo State APC accused Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration of allegedly encouraging political intimidation through directives purportedly issued to commercial motorists to display campaign materials of the Accord Peoples Movement, also known as APM.

The party’s position was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, and made available to journalists in Ibadan.

The APC alleged that the attack was part of a pattern of violence against opposition parties in the state, claiming that its members had also been attacked in three separate locations in Ibadan the previous week.

It attributed the incidents to political actors allegedly linked to the APM and the PMS, while also accusing suspected political thugs of vandalising campaign billboards, signboards and posters belonging to opposition candidates.

The party, however, called for an independent investigation into the latest incident, urging the police and other security agencies to identify and prosecute those responsible.

“The attack on Accord campaign train happened in broad daylight and some of the residents could identify the culprits, but we do not want to pre-empt the positive outcome of an objective and thorough investigation expected from the police and other security agencies,” the statement said.

The APC urged residents to remain calm and vigilant, insisting that those responsible for political violence must be exposed and brought to justice.

It further alleged that commercial motorists were being pressured into participating in APM campaign activities, claiming that the same political interests were behind attacks on opposition members.

The party warned against a return to the era of political violence, recalling that the administration of the late former governor Abiola Ajimobi had moved the state away from such incidents.

“The government of late Senator Abiola Ajimobi took us away from the era of political violence, and attempts by the current administration will be resisted by the good people of the state,” the APC added.