The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has berated Governor Seyi Makinde over the use of the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, for a political rally organised by the Allied Peoples Movement on Monday.

The APC described the development as insensitive, saying the use of the stadium for a political gathering had reopened questions surrounding the reported N5.5bn rehabilitation of the facility and its recent non-availability for Shooting Stars Sports Club’s continental fixture.

The party, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, issued in Ibadan on Monday, accused the Makinde administration of disregarding public concerns over the stadium while allegedly deploying the facility for political purposes.

The APM rally attracted supporters from across the 33 local government areas of the state, with political speeches and musical performances forming part of the event.

But the opposition party said the rally came at a particularly sensitive time for football fans in the state, following Shooting Stars’ inability to host its CAF Confederation Cup fixture against Tunisian side, CS Sfaxien, at the Adamasingba Stadium.

Sadare said, “At a time questions were being asked on what Governor Makinde did on Adamasingba Stadium to justify the whopping N5.5bn cost of rehabilitation in view of the fact that the Confederation of African Football recently rejected the facility for its matches, the same stadium was turned into a campaign ground where APM members converged to enjoy Fuji music.”

Shooting Stars eventually played the first leg of the fixture at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The development had disappointed many supporters who expected the Oluyole Warriors to return to their traditional home for their continental campaign.

The APC argued that the situation raised questions about the quality and outcome of the rehabilitation work carried out on the stadium.

Sadare said the development was particularly painful for football lovers who had watched the club’s continental campaign move away from Ibadan.

“Unfortunately, this happened when several thousands of soccer enthusiasts were mourning the early exit of their darling Shooting Stars Sports Club from the ongoing Confederation Cup,” he said.

The opposition party further alleged that the administration had failed to adequately address concerns raised over the condition of the stadium despite the huge amount reportedly spent on its rehabilitation.

“Rather than refund the N5.5bn misappropriated in the name of Adamasingba Stadium rehabilitation and re-award the project to a competent contractor in a transparent manner, Governor Makinde continued to rub insults on the injury of the people,” Sadare alleged.

The APC also accused the state government of allegedly shutting some markets in Ibadan and pressuring traders, commercial motorists and other residents to attend the rally.

It claimed that the event involved substantial expenditure, but did not provide documentary evidence to establish the amount allegedly spent or demonstrate that public funds were used for the rally.

The party called on the state government to explain the outcome of the stadium rehabilitation and account for the resources committed to the project.

It also urged the government to prioritise the completion and maintenance of public infrastructure over what it described as political activities.

The controversy comes as political activities gradually intensify in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the use and condition of public facilities increasingly becoming part of the political debate.

The Oyo State Secretary of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Ademola Oke, has dismissed claims that members of the All Progressives Congress defected to the party, describing the purported defection as untrue.

Oke said the state executive of the APM was not aware of any formal defection from the APC, insisting that none of the party’s 351 ward chairmen attended the gathering at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan.

The APM scribe was reacting to claims surrounding the gathering, which he said should not be interpreted as a mass movement of APC members into the APM.

He said, “APM is a structured party. Nobody defected to our party. We have procedures for defection, and none of the APC structures, from ward to state level, joined us.

“How could people join us and there was no communication between us?”

Oke urged members of the public to disregard claims of a major influx of APC members into the APM, saying political defections could only be recognised when they were properly communicated through the relevant party structures.

He said the gathering at Adamasingba should not be presented as a formal political defection involving APC members.

According to him, none of the 351 ward chairmen of the APM was present at the event, arguing that the absence of the party’s grassroots structures raised questions about claims of a major political movement.

“Genuine defections should be identified through the appropriate party structures and procedures, not through hired crowds and concerts at a CAF-rejected stadium,” Oke added.

The APM secretary maintained that the party remained a structured political organisation with established procedures for admitting defectors, stressing that no such process had taken place in relation to the alleged APC defection.

The campaign organisation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has criticised Governor Seyi Makinde over the state government’s reliance on diesel-powered generators for streetlights, questioning the fate of its N8.5 billion independent power project (IPP).

The campaign organisation, in a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, said the governor could not continue to blame inadequate electricity supply for the use of fuel-powered generators when the state had acquired regulatory powers to develop its electricity market.

It argued that the Electricity Act 2023 had opened the way for states to develop intrastate electricity markets and attract private investment into power generation and distribution.

Oyo State subsequently established the Oyo State Electricity Regulatory Commission (OYSERC), while regulatory oversight of the state’s intrastate electricity market was transferred from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to the state regulator in August 2024. NERC said the transfer was carried out pursuant to the Electricity Act 2023.

The campaign organisation said: “Governor Makinde, therefore, has no excuse for his own incompetence and glaring failure.”

It specifically questioned the outcome of the 11-megawatt Oyo State Independent Power Project awarded to Elektron Energy.

According to the campaign, the project, which it put at N8.5 billion, failed to deliver the expected value to residents despite the money committed to it.

However, records from the governor’s office show that the project was conceived as an 11MW hybrid power solution comprising 10MW of gas-fired generation and 1MW of solar power, to supply government facilities within the Oyo State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan and adjoining areas. The project was structured on a Build-Operate-Transfer model.

The first phase of the project was commissioned in December 2024. Elektron Energy said the commissioned facility combined 10MW of gas generation, 1MW of solar power and a 1MWh battery energy storage system.

The Alli campaign, however, said the project had not produced the benefits promised by the administration.

It also questioned the continued operation of diesel-powered streetlights on major roads across the state, alleging that the generators were expensive to maintain and had become a recurring drain on public resources.

“Even the diesel-guzzling streetlights are no longer working, leaving many major roads dark at night,” the statement said.

The campaign organisation further challenged the state government to explain why the power project had not provided a sustainable electricity source for public infrastructure, including streetlights, the state Secretariat in Agodi and health facilities which, it said, had been listed among the intended beneficiaries.

It compared Oyo’s experience with developments in other states, citing Abia’s 188MW Geometric Power project and Akwa Ibom’s 191MW Ibom Power plant.

Abia State’s government confirms that the 188MW Geometric Power Plant was commissioned in February 2024 to supply electricity within the Aba ring-fenced area, while Ibom Power’s own records put its installed Phase One capacity at 191MW.

The campaign also faulted Makinde for citing poor electricity supply as a reason for continued dependence on diesel generators.

It said the explanation was particularly troubling given the governor’s professional background as an electrical engineer.

“The purpose of leadership is to solve problems, not to repeatedly describe them or use them as excuses for failure,” the statement said.

It added that after more than seven years in office, the governor should be held responsible for problems within the state’s authority and capacity to address.

The campaign organisation proposed a power strategy built around solar-powered streetlights, embedded generation, renewable energy, independent distribution networks and increased private-sector investment.

It said these would form part of Senator Alli’s agenda if elected governor of Oyo State.