• 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.

The All Progressives Congress in Oyo State has called on security agencies to investigate an attack on the campaign team of the Accord governorship candidate, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, in Ibadan, which reportedly left several supporters injured.

The incident, which occurred around noon on Wednesday in the Molete area of the state capital, has heightened tension in parts of the city.

Eyewitness accounts indicated that some suspected members of the Park Management System emerged during a street campaign by Accord supporters and attacked occupants of the vehicles conveying members of the campaign team.

The attackers were said to have wielded dangerous weapons, inflicting varying degrees of injuries on their victims.

Reacting to the incident, the Oyo State APC accused Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration of allegedly encouraging political intimidation through directives purportedly issued to commercial motorists to display campaign materials of the Accord Peoples Movement, also known as APM.

The party’s position was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, and made available to journalists in Ibadan.

The APC alleged that the attack was part of a pattern of violence against opposition parties in the state, claiming that its members had also been attacked in three separate locations in Ibadan the previous week.

It attributed the incidents to political actors allegedly linked to the APM and the PMS, while also accusing suspected political thugs of vandalising campaign billboards, signboards and posters belonging to opposition candidates.

The party, however, called for an independent investigation into the latest incident, urging the police and other security agencies to identify and prosecute those responsible.

“The attack on Accord campaign train happened in broad daylight and some of the residents could identify the culprits, but we do not want to pre-empt the positive outcome of an objective and thorough investigation expected from the police and other security agencies,” the statement said.

The APC urged residents to remain calm and vigilant, insisting that those responsible for political violence must be exposed and brought to justice.

It further alleged that commercial motorists were being pressured into participating in APM campaign activities, claiming that the same political interests were behind attacks on opposition members.

The party warned against a return to the era of political violence, recalling that the administration of the late former governor Abiola Ajimobi had moved the state away from such incidents.

“The government of late Senator Abiola Ajimobi took us away from the era of political violence, and attempts by the current administration will be resisted by the good people of the state,” the APC added.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Oyo South, Hon. Aderemi Oseni, has called on youths in the district to shun political violence and hold politicians accountable for their records, promises and performance ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Oseni made the call during an engagement meeting with residents of Ilupeju, Idi-Obi, Ayekale, Koloko, Oke-Ibadan, Oje-Aje Ita-Baale and Beyerunka communities in Ibadan North-East Local Government Area of Oyo State. He urged the youths to participate responsibly in the political process and resist attempts by politicians to use them to disrupt the electoral process.

The lawmaker, who represents Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and chairs the House Committee on the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), described young people as important stakeholders in the development of Oyo South, the state and the country.

He said his commitment to youth development predated his current political ambition, citing his donation of a fully equipped information and communication technology (ICT) training centre to The Polytechnic, Ibadan, about 18 years ago as one of his early interventions to equip young people with relevant skills.

Oseni also said he had supported 100 young entrepreneurs in his federal constituency with N1 million each to strengthen their businesses. According to him, 82 beneficiaries had received the money, while the remaining 18 were expected to be paid before the expiration of his tenure.

On education, the lawmaker said he had paid examination fees for 1,500 students sitting the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and provided free Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) registration for 2,000 candidates, some of whom, he added, had secured admission into tertiary institutions.

He also listed improvements to school infrastructure, scholarships, bursaries, the provision of work tools for artisans, financial assistance and support for employment opportunities among initiatives aimed at improving young people’s prospects.

Beyond education and entrepreneurship, Oseni said his interventions had extended to community infrastructure and support for different groups across the senatorial district. He listed the distribution of electricity transformers, provision of boreholes and solar-powered streetlights, and construction of bridges among projects undertaken to address community needs. Artisans, traders, market men and women, and religious organisations had also benefited from his support, he added.

Explaining his focus on young people, Oseni said investing in their development was essential to building a peaceful and prosperous society.

“When you build the youth, you are building the nation. All that we are trying to do is to build the youth, give them the necessary support and show them good examples they can follow,” he said.

The APC chieftain cautioned that youths could become vulnerable to manipulation during electioneering, urging them to resist recruitment into political violence. He advised them to engage candidates on their achievements, plans for their communities, commitment to good governance and capacity to provide effective representation.

Oseni expressed confidence in the growing political awareness of youths in Oyo South, saying his interactions with them had strengthened his belief that they could make informed choices and contribute to peaceful elections.

“Typically, as we approach the electioneering period, youths can be impressionable. But from what I have seen today and our engagements so far, we are confident that they will take responsibility for their actions and make the right choices,” he said.

In a statement issued by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, Oseni reaffirmed his commitment to grassroots engagement and participatory representation.

Idowu said the community-based initiative was designed to give residents the opportunity to communicate their concerns and discuss possible solutions, with issues that could be addressed immediately receiving attention while others would be pursued through sustained engagement.

He added that encouraging young people to participate responsibly in politics remained essential to maintaining peace and protecting the democratic process ahead of the 2027 elections.