Former Deputy National Chairman South of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, has  called on residents of Oyo South Senatorial District to support the All Progressives Congress (APC)  candidate for the district, Hon. Aderemi Oseni, citing his outstanding legislative record and interventions across the district.

Arapaja made the call on Tuesday at a political engagement organised by the United Like-Minds Forum at the David Family International Christian Centre, Felele, Ibadan.
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‎The former deputy governor said the lawmaker’s interventions in legislative activities , infrastructure, education, water,  healthcare, empowerment and other areas in his constituency  demonstrated his commitment to improving the welfare of his people. He urged voters in Oyo South to consider Oseni’s record of service as they make their choice at the poll.
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‎Arapaja, who recently defected from the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) to the APC, said Oseni’s interventions in his Ido/Ibarapa East Federal Constituency provided evidence of what he described as his commitment to the welfare of his constituents.

He specifically mentioned the lawmaker’s empowerment initiatives, including the distribution of N1m each to 100 youths Entrepreneurs as well as the provision of transformers, water, bridges  to communities across the federal constituency, saying the interventions had touched the lives of ordinary residents.
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‎“Hon. Remi Oseni’s performance demonstrates what is possible when elected representatives make the welfare of their constituents a priority. If he can do this as a House of Representatives member, he will do even more as a Senator,” Arapaja said.
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‎Arapaja urged the people of Oyo South to support Oseni’s bid to represent the district at the Senate, expressing confidence that his experience in the House and understanding of grassroots issues would be useful in the upper chamber.
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He also declared support for the APC governorship candidate in the state, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, whom he described as an experienced grassroots politician with an understanding of the political and developmental needs of Oyo State.
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Arapaja further called on Oyo residents to support President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term, citing ongoing federal infrastructure interventions in the state, particularly road projects being implemented and repairs through the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) whose House committee is chaired by Oseni.
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‎The former deputy governor  revisited the political discussions that preceded the 2023 governorship election, alleging that an understanding reached with sections of the Muslim community over the succession to Governor Seyi Makinde had not been honoured. He subsequently warned against what he described as an attempt to establish political dominance by an individual or group.
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‎“We all kicked against godfatherism in Oyo State. We cannot now allow anyone to turn himself into an emperor in Oyo State. The people must remain the ultimate owners of the state. Oyo State belongs to all of us, not to one man,” Arapaja said.

‎Responding, Oseni thanked the political leaders and supporters for their confidence in his senatorial ambition and pledged that, if elected, he would remain committed to people-centred representation. He said he would build on his existing interventions and ensure that the interests and welfare of the people of Oyo South remained central to his legislative responsibilities.
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‎The host of the programme, Pastor Ayodele Eleko, appreciated the political leaders, religious leaders and supporters who attended the engagement and urged APC members to remain united and committed ahead of the 2027 elections.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said his decision to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027 does not mean the Peoples Democratic Party will withdraw from other elections.

Wike said he would mobilise support for Tinubu’s second-term bid while the PDP remained free to field candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.

The minister made the clarification in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.

Wike also dismissed suggestions that the emerging “rainbow coalition” was an arrangement with the ruling All Progressives Congress, saying it was simply a platform for politicians across party lines to mobilise support for Tinubu.

He said he would not take responsibility for helping politicians win elections in their respective states, insisting that political disputes at the state level should be settled locally.

“Politics is local and those having problems in their States should resolve them instead of using the reelection of the President to whip up sentiments,” Wike said.

The former Rivers State governor recalled that he and other members of the G5 governors did not negotiate with the APC before supporting Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.

He maintained that his position for 2027 remained centred on securing Tinubu’s re-election and not determining the outcome of other elections.

Wike argued that the 2023 elections showed that Nigerian voters could support different political parties in presidential and National Assembly contests held on the same day.

He cited Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states as examples, noting that the APC won some National Assembly seats despite recording relatively low votes for the presidential election in the states.

“In Imo State under Governor Hope Uzodinma, how did APC win two senate seats in 2023, in an election held the same day with that of the President and APC had less than 15 per cent in the presidential election? Was it rainbow coalition? Were the voters confused?” he asked.

Wike further cited the APC’s victories in National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu, despite the party’s performance in the presidential poll in those states.

He said the results demonstrated that voters could make different choices in different elections.

“If in 2023, the voters in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi voted APC in the Senatorial election and voted another party in the presidential election, they won’t be confused in 2027 provided we all support the president genuinely this time?” he added.

The FCT minister urged political stakeholders to separate the President’s re-election from their individual political battles at the state level.

“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the reelection of the President. I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and States House of Assembly elections,” Wike said.

He also stressed that the rainbow coalition had no formal connection with the APC.

“Most importantly, rainbow coalition has nothing to do with the APC. Rather, it is own way of mobilising support across political parties for Mr President, who has done well to deserve a second term,” he said.

The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation has warned the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, against diverting the €55m French Government concessional loan, valued at about N85bn, from healthcare development to what it described as politically motivated projects.

The organisation said the loan, secured for the improvement of healthcare facilities across the state, should be deployed strictly for the purpose for which it was obtained.

In a statement on Tuesday, the group expressed concern over reports that the state government had constituted a committee to determine how the funds would be rapidly spent, describing the timing as suspicious with the 2027 general elections and the end of Makinde’s administration approaching.

It also noted that repayment of the facility would commence under the next administration, making transparency and accountability in the utilisation of the funds imperative.

The statement read in part, “It has come to our notice that Governor Makinde has constituted a committee to design how the money will be swiftly spent under the guise of executing some projects four months to the general election and eight months to the end of his government.

“It will be recalled that the Oyo State House of Assembly in June this year approved the governor’s curious request to raise N200bn bond to refinance the choking debt into which Makinde has plunged the state.”

The organisation also questioned the state government’s financial decisions, arguing that increased monthly allocations to the state and the 33 local government areas following the removal of fuel subsidy should provide additional resources to tackle pressing developmental challenges.

It said the alleged plan to rapidly deploy the loan was coming at a time when the state was already facing a significant debt burden.

The campaign organisation, however, said it would support any genuine effort by the government to improve healthcare delivery, but demanded full disclosure of how the French facility would be utilised.

It called for the publication of the loan’s terms, disbursement schedule, contractors to be engaged, procurement procedures, implementation timeline and the hospitals expected to benefit from the project.

“Oyo State citizens and residents deserve to know how every euro will be spent. The money must not be seen as another opportunity for inflated contracts, hurried procurements, questionable consultancy fees or projects disguised to primarily fund political activities,” it said.

The group urged Makinde to resist committing the state to contracts or projects that might not be completed or independently verified before the expiration of his administration.

It also called on the Oyo State House of Assembly, civil society organisations, professional healthcare bodies and the media to closely monitor the utilisation of the facility.

According to the organisation, residents of the state need functional hospitals, trained medical personnel, essential medicines and modern medical equipment rather than what it described as “cosmetic renovations” or abandoned projects.

The campaign organisation said it would continue to scrutinise the deployment of state resources, particularly as the 2027 elections approach, and hold the administration accountable for expenditures it considers questionable.