The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Oyo South Senatorial District, Hon. Aderemi Oseni, has condemned the attack on his campaign train at Agbaje Market in Ibadan North-West Local Government Area of Oyo State, calling on security agencies to investigate the incident.

The attack occurred on Wednesday afternoon when Oseni and his team were visiting market associations in Agbaje, Ayeye and Idikan as part of his consultation ahead of the 2027 elections. The trouble started while he was addressing traders at Agbaje Market, when armed political thugs reportedly attacked the venue and started shooting, forcing people to run for safety.

According to a statement by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, some vehicles in the campaign convoy, including a security utility vehicle, and their windshields were hit  by bullets during the attack. The incident caused panic among traders, supporters and other residents at the market.

Security operatives attached to the campaign team quickly moved in and helped to control the situation, allowing the lawmaker, members of his entourage and supporters to leave the area safely. Oseni thanked God that no casualty was recorded and commended the security personnel for their intervention.

Describing the incident as disturbing, the chairman House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) said it was an attack not only on his campaign but also on the right of people to take part in political activities without fear.

“This is a brazen assault on peace, democracy and the constitutional right of every citizen to move freely and participate in political activities without fear or intimidation,” he said.

The APC candidate said the incident would not stop him from meeting the people across Oyo South, adding that his consultations were aimed at listening to their concerns and understanding what they expect from whoever represents them. He said politics should be about ideas, records and the ability to serve the people, rather than violence and intimidation.

Oseni appealed to his supporters not to retaliate, urging them to remain calm and allow the security agencies to deal with those behind the attack. “I appeal to our supporters to remain calm and law-abiding. We must not allow anyone to provoke us into taking the law into our own hands,” he said.

He also thanked the traders, residents, party leaders and supporters who came out for the consultation despite the incident. According to him, the attack would not change the goodwill he enjoys among the people, insisting that voters should be allowed to freely decide who they want to represent them.

“No attack, intimidation or destruction of campaign materials can determine the choice of the people. At the end of the day, it is the people who will decide. Our duty is to present our records and our vision to them, and their decision must be respected,” Oseni said.

He called on the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and other relevant security agencies to thoroughly investigate the attack, identify those responsible and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice. He said political violence should not be allowed to become part of the build-up to the 2027 elections.

The consultation was attended by the APC candidate for Ibadan North-West/Ibadan South-West Federal Constituency, Hon. Folake Olunloyo; Hon. Lowo Obisesan; party leaders, market stakeholders, supporters and other chieftains.

Oseni said he would continue his consultations across Oyo South, insisting that the incident would not stop him from meeting the people.

“We will continue to go to the people. We will continue to listen and engage peacefully. We will not be intimidated. The people deserve the freedom to choose, and that freedom must be protected,” he stressed.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Oyo South Senatorial District, Engr. Aderemi Oseni, has urged eligible voters across the district and the state to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) begins distributing newly printed cards ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Oseni, who represents Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, made the call in a statement issued on Wednesday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

He urged eligible voters who participated in the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), transferred their polling units or applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to take advantage of the exercise and collect their cards.

Oseni said the commencement of the distribution exercise was an important opportunity for eligible voters to complete the process ahead of the 2027 elections, urging them not to wait until the final days before collecting their cards.

“Democracy is not sustained by the demand for good governance alone; it also depends on the willingness of citizens to participate responsibly in the process of choosing their leaders.

“I therefore urge every eligible voter to collect their PVC and exercise their civic responsibility. No citizen should wait until the last moment before taking this important step,” he said.

The call comes as INEC commences the distribution and collection of 77,015 newly printed PVCs across Oyo State from Friday, October 9, to Thursday, October 15, 2026.

The exercise will take place at the state’s 351 Registration Areas and wards between 9am and 3pm daily, including weekends.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Oyo State, Prof. Adeniran Tella, said the commission would also make available unclaimed PVCs printed ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Oseni commended INEC for making the newly printed cards available ahead of the 2027 elections, saying eligible voters should take advantage of the exercise to obtain their cards in good time.

He also urged the electoral commission to ensure that the collection process remained transparent, accessible and orderly, while addressing avoidable difficulties that could discourage eligible voters.

“Every eligible voter should be given a fair and easy opportunity to collect their PVC. A smooth process will encourage more people to participate in the democratic process,” he added.

The federal lawmaker further urged INEC to sustain its efforts to improve access to PVCs and ensure that no eligible voter across Oyo State is left out of the electoral process.

The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation has said the recent commendation of President Bola Tinubu by Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has raised fresh questions about the political platform backing Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde’s 2027 presidential ambition.

The organisation described Mohammed’s remarks as a contradiction that could undermine the argument being advanced by Makinde and his supporters for a change of leadership at the federal level.

Mohammed, who is the national leader of the Allied Peoples Movement, the platform on which Makinde is seeking the presidency, had publicly acknowledged that Tinubu had “done so well” in some key areas, particularly finance, health and security.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Director of Media and Publicity of the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation, Bisi Oladele, said the Bauchi governor’s comments were significant given his position within the political structure supporting Makinde’s presidential bid.

Oladele said it was difficult to reconcile Mohammed’s commendation of the President with the argument that Nigerians needed to replace Tinubu in 2027.

“The question Nigerians should now ask is simple: if one of the principal promoters of Makinde’s presidential ambition truthfully admits that President Tinubu is doing well, what exactly is the justification for Makinde asking Nigerians to replace the President?” the statement read.

The campaign organisation said Mohammed deserved commendation for acknowledging what he considered positive aspects of the Federal Government’s performance instead of opposing the administration on every issue.

It argued that the governor’s remarks had also exposed what it described as contradictions within the political coalition around Makinde.

The organisation recalled that Mohammed had previously backed Makinde’s presidential aspiration and spoken positively about his leadership qualities.

It therefore questioned whether the political coalition supporting the Oyo governor had a sufficiently coherent position on the performance of the Tinubu administration.

“Even more instructive is the fact that Governor Mohammed had previously endorsed Makinde and described him as the leader Nigeria needed,” the statement said.

“His latest acknowledgement of President Tinubu’s performance therefore raises legitimate political questions about the cohesion, conviction and sustainability of the so-called coalition behind Makinde.”

The Alli campaign organisation further alleged that Makinde’s presidential ambition could be part of a broader political bargaining strategy ahead of the 2027 elections.

It said the Oyo governor’s presidential aspiration appeared to be serving as a means of strengthening his negotiating position as political alliances and permutations ahead of 2027 continue to take shape.

“We have always maintained that Makinde’s so-called presidential ambition appears less like a serious pathway to Aso Rock and more like a political bargaining chip designed to enhance his negotiating position in the unfolding 2027 political equation,” it said.

The organisation also questioned the strength of Makinde’s campaign, arguing that presidential politics would ultimately depend on political structures, alliances, organisation and public support.

“Makinde may continue to erect billboards, commission campaign offices and make grandiose declarations about ‘resetting’ Nigeria, but politics is ultimately about structures, numbers, credibility and alliances,” it said.

The campaign organisation, however, acknowledged Makinde’s constitutional right to contest the presidency but urged him to concentrate more on his record as governor of Oyo State.

It said issues including infrastructure, education, healthcare, the state’s finances, the local economy and workers’ welfare should also form part of the assessment of his administration.

“The people of Oyo State are more interested in his legacy—the state’s debt profile, the condition of the local economy, infrastructure, education, healthcare and the welfare of workers—than in a presidential adventure whose political foundations are already crumbling,” the statement added.

It concluded that while Makinde was entitled to pursue his presidential ambition, ambition alone should not be confused with national acceptance or political viability.

“Governor Makinde is free to aspire to the highest office in the land. That is his constitutional right. But he should not mistake ambition for viability, publicity for popularity or political bargaining for a genuine national movement,” the organisation said.