• 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.
