The Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) has challenged Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) governorship candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi, to address questions surrounding local government administration, healthcare and education in the state rather than accuse Senator Sharafadeen Alli of copying government policies in his Oyo AHEAD manifesto.
The organisation described the allegation that Alli copied policies of the Makinde administration as an attempt to divert attention from what it called pressing governance challenges confronting residents of the state.
In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, SSACO said the manifesto was informed by Alli’s experience in public service and his understanding of the challenges facing the state.
It noted that the senator had served as a local government chairman, Secretary to the State Government and Chief of Staff before his election to the Senate.
“Alli is not a newcomer learning governance from press releases. He was a Council Chairman, Secretary to the State Government, Chief of Staff and is now a serving Senator. That experience from the ward to the Senate is what positions him as a candidate for Oyo State. You cannot copy what you have lived,” the statement said.
The campaign organisation argued that the debate over the manifesto should focus on its proposals and the issues they seek to address, particularly what it described as the paralysis of local governments, inadequate healthcare personnel, poorly equipped public hospitals and the growing number of out-of-school children.
On local government administration, SSACO claimed that the 33 local government areas in Oyo State had received approximately ₦873bn in Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations since 2019.
It, however, alleged that the councils had failed to make their budgets publicly accessible online, raising questions about transparency and accountability at the grassroots.
The organisation said Alli had proposed issuing an executive order on his first day in office to guarantee local government autonomy, ensure that councils receive their allocations on a fixed date and facilitate the monthly remittance of the 10 per cent of state revenue due to them.
According to SSACO, the proposal is aimed at restoring effective grassroots administration and ensuring that public resources translate into development at the community level.
On healthcare, the campaign organisation raised concerns over the state of public hospitals, claiming that six local government areas had no general hospital, while six general hospitals had no doctor as of October 2025.
It further alleged that 10 other hospitals had only one doctor each, while primary healthcare centres operated with an average of three workers, against a national benchmark of 24.
The organisation said the figures raised questions about access to medical services, particularly for residents in rural communities who depend largely on public health facilities.
As part of its proposed intervention, Alli’s Oyo AHEAD manifesto outlines an Oyo Care programme that promises free healthcare for infants, pregnant women and residents aged 70 and above.
Other proposals include continuous recruitment of health workers, provision of modern medical equipment, regular supply of essential medicines, solar power for rural maternity centres and public accountability dashboards in every ward.
SSACO maintained that the proposals were designed to address practical gaps in healthcare delivery rather than merely repeat existing government programmes.
In education, the organisation cited figures it attributed to the state government’s school census, claiming that approximately 674,000 children between the ages of three and 17 were out of school in Oyo State, reportedly the highest figure in the South-West.
It also claimed that public primary school classrooms accommodated about 100 pupils on average, while seven out of every 10 children aged between seven and 14 could not perform basic arithmetic.
To address the situation, the Oyo AHEAD manifesto proposes reducing classroom populations to 30 pupils, rehabilitating public schools across the 33 local government areas and introducing scholarships for academically gifted children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
It also proposes the enactment of an Apprenticeship Law and the restoration of School Governing Boards to give parents and host communities a greater role in the administration of public schools.
Beyond education and healthcare, the manifesto outlines an agricultural transformation programme, a ₦10bn Youth Fund, affordable housing for low- and middle-income earners and a proposed 20-year warranty on newly constructed roads.
The campaign organisation also challenged the state government to substantiate claims that Oyo was the most liveable state in the country by making public the report, its publisher and the methodology used in arriving at the ranking.
It further faulted the argument that Alli’s proposal for one primary healthcare centre per ward amounted to copying the Makinde administration’s policies, insisting that the availability of facilities must be matched by adequate manpower, equipment and essential medicines.
“They claim Oyo is the most liveable state but cannot produce the report, the publisher or the methodology. They claim Alli copied one-PHC-per-ward, yet our PHCs have three workers instead of 24. That is not implementation. That is abandonment,” the statement said.
The organisation also described Adekanmbi’s political position as a continuation of the present administration’s approach to governance, arguing that the Oyo AHEAD manifesto offered a different set of proposals for addressing the state’s development challenges.
“Oyo AHEAD is a correction. It is a covenant. And we will continue to highlight the issues that matter to the well-being of the people of Oyo State,” the statement added.
