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.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has warned promoters of a political group, Boye Nation, against what it described as an attempt to create confusion in the state’s political landscape by campaigning for candidates of different political parties.

The party said those interested in supporting its candidates must be prepared to work for all APC flag bearers or stay away from its political activities.

The warning followed the circulation of a video on social media showing several vehicles branded with campaign materials bearing the images of President Bola Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate, and the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State.

The vehicles also reportedly displayed the symbols of Boye Nation alongside the logos of the APC and APM, raising questions about the political allegiance of the group and its promoters.

In a statement issued on Thursday in Ibadan, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, said the APC remained willing to reconcile with aggrieved members and accommodate those prepared to return to its fold.

He, however, cautioned that the party’s disposition towards reconciliation should not be mistaken for weakness.

Sadare said the party had received reports that some individuals behind Boye Nation’s activities in Ibadan were allegedly making moves capable of creating confusion within the political space.

“We have got the reports from different sources that some individuals, who are behind the Boye Nation activities in Ibadan, are perfecting plans to create confusion in the polity. Some of these people celebrate their confusion on social media, but we can only wish them the best of luck,” he said.

The party’s spokesman further alleged that some individuals who recently left the APC were attempting to campaign for President Tinubu while belonging to another political party.

While expressing sympathy for the individuals, Sadare urged them to reconsider their political decision and return to the APC, which he described as their political home.

He also criticised the branding of campaign vehicles and other materials with the identities of different political parties, describing the development as unacceptable.

“While we sympathise with the man in question as he and his group must have realised the fatal error in their recent political move, we urge them to return home and play the role expected of them as progressive family members,” the statement said.

The party maintained that support for Tinubu must translate into support for other APC candidates seeking elective positions in the state.

Sadare said anyone genuinely interested in the success of the President must also be committed to the party’s governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates.

“If you are supporting our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, you must be intentional by working for the governorship, Senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates of the APC at the same time, as doing otherwise would be unacceptable to us,” the statement added.

The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) has called on the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi, to caution his supporters following an alleged attack on two members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ibadan.

The call followed an incident at the Ibadan North Local Government Secretariat on Wednesday, where two APC members, Abiola Abulesowo and Abanise Olanrewaju, were allegedly assaulted by some persons said to be APM supporters.

The victims were reportedly at the secretariat with a newly registered voter who was to visit the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office when they were confronted over their political affiliation.

Recounting their experience, Abulesowo said the confrontation began when the assailants questioned why they, as APC members, had entered a secretariat allegedly under APM control.

He said they responded that the secretariat was a public institution belonging to all Nigerians, irrespective of political affiliation, but their explanation reportedly provoked further confrontation.

According to him, the situation quickly degenerated into violence, with the assailants allegedly raining slaps and punches on them.

“We tried to protect ourselves, but they were many. We had to run. Yet they pursued us. While we thought we were already escaping, we landed in the hands of PMS thugs at Bus Stop who took over the beating.

“They tore our dress and thoroughly embarrassed us, just because we are APC members,” he said.

The victims said the incident occurred at about 1pm on Wednesday.

Reacting to the development in a statement, the Director of Media and Publicity of SSACO, Bisi Oladele, condemned the alleged attack and called on Adekanmbi and Governor Seyi Makinde to caution their supporters against acts of political violence.

The organisation warned that no political party or government should use its influence to intimidate opposition members or deny them their rights as citizens.

It described the incident as another example of what it called a growing pattern of intimidation against opposition members in Oyo State.

“This condemnable act is another incident in an ugly trend of muscling the opposition in Oyo State under Governor Seyi Makinde’s leadership.

“We understand that the loss of popularity is eating up Governor Makinde and Hon. Adekanmbi. Yet there is absolutely no reason to visit violence on opposition members in our state,” the statement said.

SSACO urged the governor and the APM governorship candidate to embrace peaceful political engagement and concentrate on issues rather than attacks on political opponents.

It also called on the Oyo State Commissioner of Police to investigate the incident, identify those responsible and ensure they were brought to justice.

The organisation maintained that political differences should not be allowed to threaten the safety and freedom of residents, insisting that public institutions must remain open to all citizens regardless of their party affiliations.

“Oyo State belongs to us all, and no one should use government power to prevent opposition members from living a peaceful life,” the statement added.