The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has appointed three experienced journalists and communication professionals as directors in his campaign media and publicity team ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

The appointees are the former South-West Bureau Chief of The Nation, Bisi Oladele, who was named Director of Media and Publicity; a former Chief Press Secretary to the late Oyo State Governor, Lam Adesina, Kehinde Olaosebikan, as Director of Strategic Communication; and a former Special Adviser to the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Communication and Strategy, Bolaji Tunji, as Director of Public Affairs.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Media Consultant to Alli, Dare Adekanmbi, and made available to journalists in Ibadan on Thursday.

Also appointed to the team are the immediate past Chairman of the Oyo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ademola Babalola, as Deputy Director, while the Oyo State APC Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, will serve as Secretary.

Oladele, a multimedia journalist and communication strategist, has over 25 years of experience in journalism and public relations.

He was until his latest appointment the Executive Editor of Newspeak Media and Chairman of the South-West Guild of Online Publishers.

Oladele holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education (English) from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and a Master’s degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan. He is also concluding a PhD programme in Political Communication at Lead City University, Ibadan.

He is expected to work with other communication professionals, including Ayotunde Olude, to drive the campaign’s media, publicity and strategic communication activities.

Olaosebikan, a veteran journalist and media practitioner, served as Chief Press Secretary to the late Governor Lam Adesina and brings considerable experience in government media relations and strategic communication to the campaign.

Tunji, also a journalist and communication practitioner, served as Special Adviser to the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Communication and Strategy.

According to the statement, the appointments were made to strengthen the campaign’s media visibility, strategic communication, public engagement and information management ahead of the 2027 general election.

‎The declaration was made on Wednesday at the Recreation Club open field in Ibadan, where leaders and members of the groups gathered to publicly endorse Oseni ahead of the election.
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‎The coalition comprises no fewer than 20 indigenous security organisations, including the OPC Fasheun, Agbekoya Solidarity, OLM, Ifenisese Oodua, Agbekoya Peace and Unity, LLVG, OPC Gani, Omo-Ibile, Agbekoya Warriors, OPC New Era, FYCC Alajobi, Agbekoya Farmers, IROD, IYF, Itesiwaju Agbekoya, Hunters Ode, Soludero Hunters Guide, Oyo State Vigilante Group, Soludero Association, Kobolese Vanguard and Majiyagbe Vanguard.
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The groups have structures and members across the local government areas that  make up Ibadanland.
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‎Speaking on behalf of the coalition, its Commandant, Chief Musliudeen Kehinde Ege, commended Oseni for what he described as his “superlative performance” as a member of the House of Representatives.
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‎Ege said the groups had followed reports of Oseni’s interventions and representation before deciding to identify with his senatorial aspiration.
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‎He said: “We have been hearing a lot of good things about you as a result of your quality representation and impactful development, even beyond Oyo South.We are proud to identify with you and openly declare our unflinching support for the realisation of your ambition. We will not only make this happen at the polls with our huge followership and networks, we are also going to ensure that the votes are well secured.”
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‎Addressing the gathering, Oseni thanked the security groups for the confidence reposed in him, assuring them that he would remain committed to quality representation and people-oriented development.
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‎The lawmaker said his legislative agenda for Oyo South would focus on people-centred legislation, strategic engagement at the national level and efforts to attract meaningful development projects to the district.
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‎Oseni, who is currently representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and chairs the House Committee on the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), also assured residents that his interventions in communities would continue.
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‎He said his support for communities, religious bodies, artisans, traders, market associations and other development stakeholders across the district was driven by his desire to improve the welfare of the people and would continue until the election.
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‎The APC candidate also appealed to the gathering to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senator Sarafadeen Alli and other APC candidates.
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‎Responding to requests earlier presented by the security initiative, Oseni donated a bus, three Hajj slots and N20 million to support the activities of the groups.
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‎The donations, according to him, were part of his commitment to supporting initiatives that contribute to community development, security and the welfare of the people.

(c) Mega Icon Magazine 

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sarafadeen Alli, has said he will not allow the state to become a “real estate company” if elected governor, promising to build an economy driven by agriculture, mining and other productive sectors.
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‎Alli said his administration would focus on creating jobs, developing industries and adding value to the state’s natural resources instead of relying largely on the sale of government assets and landed properties.
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‎The APC candidate spoke with journalists in Ibadan recently after attending the 2026 convention of the Archdiocese of Ibadan Catholic Men Organisation.
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‎He said one of his administration’s immediate priorities would be to establish at least one cottage industry in each of the state’s 33 local government areas.
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‎“I have said it times without number that within our first year in office, we are going to have at least one cottage industry in every local government. We are going to turn around Oyo State’s economy through agriculture, mining and other areas where we have comparative advantage. Oyo State will not be a real estate company,” he said.
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‎Alli added that his administration would ensure that Oyo State derives maximum benefit from its mineral resources.
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‎He said, “Where it is mining, we are going to bring the companies right to the site so that there will be some value addition before these things are exported. It will not be for personal reasons or personal aggrandisement, but for the benefit of the people of Oyo State.”
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‎The APC candidate also promised to grant local governments full administrative and financial autonomy, saying a functional local government system would strengthen governance and improve security at the grassroots.
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‎“Local government autonomy will lead us to several other things. There is no way you can have a very effective and functional local government without improving security. State police is also coming,” he said.
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‎Alli recalled that during a period of heightened insecurity in the state, some local governments empowered vigilantes to complement security agencies, particularly in Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa.
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‎According to him, the initiative helped to reduce insecurity in the affected areas while also providing employment for the youths engaged in the programme.
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‎He said, “A few years ago, when there were security challenges in the state, local governments were empowered to employ vigilantes. Along the roads in Oke-Ogun, Ibarapa and other areas, insecurity was reduced.The empowerment did not only provide security; it also provided jobs for the men.”
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‎Alli further criticised what he described as the failure of the government to act on an early warning about suspicious movements in Yawota in 2022.
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‎He said a member of the Oyo State House of Assembly had raised the alarm and called on the government to investigate the development, but no decisive action was taken.
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‎“Our government will be vigilant. We will not be lackadaisical. The truth is that in 2022, a member of the House of Assembly raised an alarm and warned about strange movements in Yawota, calling on the government to do something. But the government failed to do anything, and that same Yawota was where innocent people were kidnapped.
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‎“So, we are going to be very serious about governance,” Alli said.

(c) Mega Icon Magazine‎