The immediate past Chief of Staff to Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, Segun Ogunwuyi, on Tuesday led 32 other political chieftains of the Allied Peoples Movement to the All Progressives Congress, in a major political realignment in Ogbomoso.

The defection, which took place at Oja’gbo, in front of Soun Ogunlola Hall, attracted a large crowd of APC members and supporters, forcing a disruption of vehicular movement in the area for more than three hours.

The defectors included Alhaji Rasak Gbadegesin, popularly known as Agbeti; Timothy Oyeniyi; Alabi Olateju; Dr Banji Folaranmi; Isaiah Adegbite; Peter Oyetunji; and the APM Chairman in Ogbomoso North Local Government Area, Jimoh Sikiru.

Also in the group were council secretaries, chiefs of staff, supervisory councillors and special assistants serving in Ogbomoso North, Ogbomoso South, Surulere and Ogo-Oluwa local government areas.

Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Ogunwuyi said they joined the APC to contribute to the party’s growth and strengthen its chances in the 2027 general elections.

He expressed confidence that the APC would win convincingly in Ogbomoso, adding that the new members were ready to work for the party’s success.

The APC State Chairman, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, welcomed the defectors and assured them of equal opportunities in the party.

He urged them to close ranks with existing members and work towards the victory of APC candidates in the 2027 elections.

Explaining his decision to leave the APM, Folaranmi accused the party of being run as a one-man organisation, alleging that Makinde was the only person effectively running its affairs.

The APC governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, described the defection as a significant blow to the APM, saying the departure of Ogunwuyi and other political figures showed that the party was losing influential members.

He said, “For the likes of Hon. Segun Ogunwuyi, Alhaji Rasak Agbeti and other politicians of substance to abandon Governor Makinde, it means a lot.

“I use this medium to tell the few ones who are still there to leave now and join us in the APC.”

The development is expected to give the APC a boost in its grassroots mobilisation across Ogbomoso and neighbouring communities ahead of the 2027 elections.

It also comes as political parties intensify their preparations for the governorship contest, with Alli seeking to consolidate the APC’s influence across the state and challenge the political structure of the ruling party.

The defection is particularly significant for the APC’s Oyo South political calculations, as Ogunwuyi and other defectors are expected to bring their political networks and grassroots connections into the opposition party.

Among the APC leaders who attended the rally were former senators Ayoade Adeseun and Brimoh Yusuf; former Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Olagunju Ojo; former APC state chairman, Akin Oke; Kemi Alao-Akala; Bashiru Akataapa; Aderemi Adepoju; and Abiodun Adeyemo, popularly known as Obadoba.

Members of the Oyo APC State Executive Committee were also present.
The Director-General of the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Council, Asiwaju Yemi Aderibigbe, and his deputy, Sola Ogunbode, attended the event.

Other political figures at the rally included the APC deputy governorship candidate, Adesoji Adedeji; Hannah Ogunesan; Segun Odebunmi; and Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala.

The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has accused Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration of plotting to sell or cede the 40-year-old Agodi Government Fish Farm in Ibadan to a private estate developer.

The opposition party alleged that the facility was being targeted for conversion into an extension of Baywood Estate, following the recent destruction of part of the Agodi conservation forest.

In a statement issued on Friday and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the APC Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, described the alleged move as another attempt to dispose of public assets for private interests.

The party said the fish farm, located between the Agodi Gardens and Dandaru Stream in the heart of Ibadan, was an important agricultural and educational facility that should be preserved.

Established about four decades ago, the facility houses offices, laboratories, demonstration farms, fish ponds and training centres used by students, researchers and practising fish farmers.

It also accommodates the Ogunpa Lake, where local and exotic fish species are bred for educational and commercial purposes.The APC alleged that the proposed takeover was part of a wider plan to expand private estate developments around the Agodi Government Secretariat.

“We have uncovered fresh plans by Governor Makinde and his cronies to expand the private housing estate projects around Agodi Government Secretariat, which has birthed Baywood Estate.

“After the destruction of the enviable green zone that protects the environment around the area, the next in line for Governor Makinde is to level up the Government Fish Farm facility with a view to joining the large expanse of land, which it occupies, with the private estate,” the statement said.

The party faulted the administration’s handling of public infrastructure, arguing that the alleged plan would further undermine the state’s agricultural and environmental assets.

It also accused the government of neglecting several public facilities, including the Trans Amusement Park, Agodi Gardens, the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, the Oyo State Library Board and the state Water Corporation.

Expressing concern over the future of other government facilities around Agodi, the APC said residents had reasons to worry about the safety of the Government Secretariat, Government House and Cultural Centre complex.

The party called on Makinde to immediately suspend the alleged plan to cede the fish farm, warning against what it described as the illegal conversion of government-owned properties into private estates.

It also urged elders and concerned residents of the state to prevail on the governor, insisting that those responsible for the alleged sale or takeover of public lands and assets must be held accountable.

APC candidate alleges harassment of farmers, traders; promises tax law within 100 days if elected

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has challenged Governor Seyi Makinde to end alleged illegal tax collections across the state, insisting that farmers, traders and transporters should not be subjected to multiple levies on the highways.

Alli accused the Makinde administration of failing to demonstrate the political will to domesticate the Tax Harmonisation Law, which he said would check arbitrary revenue collection and protect residents from the activities of unauthorised tax collectors.

The APC candidate raised the concern in a statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Media and Publicity of his campaign organisation, Bisi Oladele.

He alleged that individuals posing as revenue agents had been mounting roadblocks and extorting money from farmers and traders transporting goods within the state.

According to him, farmers moving produce from Oyo North to Ibadan and business owners conveying goods from the state capital to other parts of the state have been subjected to multiple collections under different pretexts.

Alli said the practice was not only hurting farmers and small-scale business owners but also adding to the cost of transporting goods and, ultimately, the prices paid by consumers.

He argued that the burden of multiple taxation was particularly troubling at a time when residents and businesses were battling rising operating costs.

“The people of Oyo State deserve freedom from multiple taxation and the crude means of collecting road taxes,” he said.

The senator maintained that the Tax Harmonisation Law would provide a framework for streamlining taxes across the state and local government areas, eliminate unauthorised collections and curb the activities of individuals exploiting motorists and traders in the name of revenue generation.

He expressed disappointment that Oyo had yet to complete the domestication process, claiming that several other states had already passed the legislation while others were working towards its enactment.

Alli said the continued delay had left farmers, transporters and business owners exposed to arbitrary levies and harassment.

He called on Makinde to give the proposed legislation the attention it deserved, saying the state needed a tax system that would support economic activities rather than undermine them.

The APC governorship candidate, however, promised that the law would be passed within his first 100 days in office if elected governor.

He said his administration would prioritise a tax regime that protects businesses, encourages investment and promotes economic growth, rather than imposing unnecessary burdens on residents.