Politics
Stop being bad losers, group flays Oyo APC, ALGON over attacks on Makinde
An Oyo State-based Socio-political Organisation, the Oyo Kajola Group (OKG) has advised the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and some purported members of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in the state to stop its relentless and meaningless attacks on Governor Seyi Makinde.
OKG, in a statement by its Media Coordinator, Mr. Adebayo Ayandele, which was made public in Ibadan on Tuesday, said that recent outbursts by the APC and ALGON on the management of local government matters by Governor Makinde can only be termed as the compulsive attitude of bad losers whose negative tendencies are completely unproductive.
According to OKG, the criticisms against Makinde by the APC and ALGON are not only baseless but a clear demonstration of undemocratic tendencies by political actors who have unfortunately benefitted from the nation’s democracy.
“We can only urge them to stop being bad losers and stop the incessant display of undemocratic conducts, including their call for unconstitutional intervention in Oyo State,” the OKG said.
The group stated that APC’s statement calling on President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly to adopt undemocratic measures by illegally intervening in the issue of local government in Oyo State was not only a shameful faux pas, but a portrayal of the members of the APC and ALGON in Oyo State as namby-pamby democrats.
The group further described Oyo APC’s call to President Buhari and the leadership of the National Assembly to prevail on Makinde on local government administration in Oyo State as a disgrace, noting that APC members in the State would have to avail themselves the opportunity of the free education policy of the Makinde administration and free distribution of textbooks to return to secondary school classrooms to learn Government and Civics Education, especially topics on federalism, democracy and government system.
According to the group, the claim made by the APC that Makinde’s plans to appoint caretaker committees was an affront to the judiciary and a decision to position his lackeys in office was not only strange but totally baseless, especially coming from a party that administered local governments in Oyo State with caretaker committees for seven of its eight years in office.
The group added that the claim that Makinde tried to ‘bribe’ known APC members appointed into the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) by the immediate past government was a wicked lie from the rotten pit that APC is, noting that Makinde’s offer to pay the OYSIEC members off the appointment was lawful and well-intended.
The Oyo Kajola Group (OKG) advised Makinde to go ahead if he so wishes to appoint caretaker chairmen for the local councils, as according to it, the move will enable the grassroots in Oyo State to feel the impact of government more than before.
It noted that if the Governor decides to do so, he would not be committing any infraction on the laws of the land, pending the election into the councils.
The Oyo Kajola Group also warned the Oyo State APC and its appendage, to perish the thought of its evil intention of planning to snatch the people’s mandate freely given to Governor Makinde through the Court, noting that the APC’s false hope would end up being deflated.
The group said: “On Monday, the Oyo State chapter of the APC, for the umpteenth time and in its characteristic frustrated manner, treated Nigerians to another round of its garrulous but baseless attacks on the Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde. Silence would have been the best answer for the ninnies that Oyo APC leaders and members have become ever since they lost the March 9, 2019 governorship election.
“However, the namby-pamby democrats and bogus progressives known as Oyo APC had gone too far this time, as they called on President Buhari and the National Assembly to “prevail” on Makinde on how to administer a federating unit, Oyo State. This call, to say the least, is disgraceful, uncanny and not well-thought-out and we can only ask whether the writer and sponsors of the APC statement actually went through school or learnt anything about the federal system of Government.
“They cited some cases to buttress their disgraceful claim but they were only clever by half, as they hid a substantial part of the matters from the public with an intent to deceive and mislead the public. The truth is that Governor Makinde would not be disobeying any order by appointing an interim management for the local governments. By doing so, he would only be contributing to making the impact of governance felt more at the grassroots.
“The Oyo State APC, which has become devitalized and enfeebled by its loss in the State, instead of calling on President Buhari and the national leadership of the party to help rebuild its broken house, has been going about attacking Governor Makinde and seeking ungodly shortcuts on how to reclaim the governorship seat it lost in a free, fair and credible election. We can only wish them the best in their voyage of shame as they go ahead groping in self-inflicted darkness until they fall into their own traps.
“We, however, will not sit and watch as the Oyo State APC, which is renowned for its mendacity and barefaced dishonesty, attempt to deceive the public over what is going on in Oyo State regarding the leadership of the local government system.
“The APC, in its statement, tried to extrapolate on the Supreme Court judgment over local councils to justify its attacks on Makinde. The truth is that the cases in point are different. As the Latin maxim goes, Nemo dat quod non habet; you cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand. The election that brought in the sacked local government chairmen of the APC was illegal ab initio in that it flouted the Constitution. The election was conducted in defiance of court injunctions that restricted the government of Senator Abiola Ajimobi, a clear violation of the Constitution, which President Buhari and the National Assembly are now being asked to protect.
“It will also be recalled that the same illegal council election had marked the beginning of the end for the APC in Oyo State, as it was a festival of imposition of the cronies and flunkeys of former Governor Abiola Ajimobi. This development, indeed, led to a faction of the APC approaching the court to stop the election, using the plan of the immediate past government to conduct polls into local government councils and LCDAs as a ground for litigation.
“It is also interesting that the judgment the APC claims to have against Makinde was hurriedly procured before he took office, having been done in cahoots with the immediate past administration, which had lost grounds through Makinde’s election and was looking for a landmine to plant for the new governor.”
Market men and women across Oyo South Senatorial District have declared support for the senatorial ambition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the district, Engr. Aderemi Oseni, and reaffirmed their backing for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The traders said their endorsement was driven by the lawmaker’s sustained grassroots interventions and what they described as his people-centred representation.
The endorsement came on Monday during an interactive engagement in Ibadan with market stakeholders drawn from the nine local government areas of the senatorial district.
At the event, Oseni supported market men and women across the district with N90 million, with each of the nine local government areas receiving N10 million to boost petty trading, expand businesses and stimulate grassroots economic activity.
In a statement by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, the lawmaker said the intervention was part of efforts to improve livelihoods and deepen economic inclusion, particularly among small-scale traders.
Oseni, who represents Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and chairs the House Committee on the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), said empowering market operators remained central to his development agenda.
He said markets remained the heartbeat of local communities, noting that traders’ resilience continues to sustain families and drive local economies.
“This intervention is aimed at strengthening their businesses, easing economic pressure and encouraging enterprise at the grassroots,” he said.
The APC chieftain added that his representation would continue to focus on practical interventions with visible impact.
“Leadership must translate into visible impact. I remain committed to initiatives that support small businesses, create opportunities for growth and complement the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Oseni also canvassed support for President Tinubu among traders in Oyo South, saying stronger alignment between federal, state, senatorial and local government leadership would accelerate development in the state.
He listed the Tinubu administration’s initiatives to include the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND, measures to curb industrial actions in tertiary institutions, tuition-free technical colleges, construction and rehabilitation of major highways, agricultural support programmes and subsidies for cancer treatment, fuel subsidy removal, which he noted has boosted state and local government revenues.
He urged traders to mobilise support for APC candidates in the next general elections, expressing confidence that Tinubu’s re-election would further improve residents’ welfare.
Speaking on behalf of the traders, the Coordinator of Market Men and Women in Oyo South Senatorial District and Babaloja of Omi-Adio and Ido Local Government, Chief Odedele Waheed, commended the turnout and described the engagement as a demonstration of confidence in Oseni’s leadership.
He lauded the lawmaker for sustained grassroots development efforts, noting that the N90 million support would strengthen businesses across the district.
Odedele also commended the leadership of market men and women in Oyo State for granting traders approval to meet and interact with the lawmaker, saying the platform allowed them to express concerns and understand his vision for Oyo South.
The traders pledged to mobilise support across markets in the district in favour of Oseni’s electoral bid and President Tinubu’s re-election.
Those present included the Babaloja of Ibadan North East, Ibrahim Balogun; Babaloja of Ibadan South West, Rafiu Iyo; Babaloja of Ibadan North West, Alhaji Tajudeen Hammed; Alhaji Abdulraman Salawudeen; Asiwaju Oloja of Ibarapa Zone, Chief Okanlawon John Adebisi; Babaloja of Ibadan North, Chief Adewole Basirat; and Iyaloja of Ibarapa Central, Chief Ige Fausat, among others.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has declared the Governor of Ekiti State and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Biodun Oyebanji, winner of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
The Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, announced the result at about 3:13 a.m. on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti, saying Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes to defeat his closest rivals and secure a second term in office.
According to Oladiji, who is the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Oluwole Oluyede, garnered 40,543 votes, while the African Democratic Congress candidate, Dare Bejide, secured 12,872 votes.
She said 384,940 voters were accredited for the election, while 375,777 valid votes were recorded. The electoral umpire also announced that 6,332 votes were rejected, bringing the total number of votes cast to 382,109.
The declaration capped a governorship poll largely adjudged peaceful by observers and security agencies, despite complaints of malfunctioning Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines, delayed commencement of voting in some polling units and allegations of voter intimidation by opposition parties.
INEC said voting was conducted in all the 2,445 polling units across the state’s 16 local government areas, noting that 2,257 units, representing 92.31 per cent, opened before 8.30 a.m., while 188 polling units commenced accreditation and voting before 10.30 a.m. after experiencing minor delays.
The commission also commenced uploading polling unit results to its Results Viewing Portal shortly after the completion of voting and counting in several centres.
The PDP candidate, Oluyede, had expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the exercise at Ugele/Arokun Ward in Ikere Local Government Area, alleging that many prospective voters were disenfranchised due to BVAS-related challenges.
Speaking with journalists after voting at Polling Unit 006, he further alleged cases of harassment and intimidation of voters in the area.
Some elderly voters at the polling unit also lamented difficulties encountered during accreditation and urged INEC to urgently rectify the technical glitches.
The ADC candidate, Bejide, similarly alleged irregularities during the exercise.
However, Oyebanji dismissed the claims, insisting that those making allegations of electoral misconduct should provide credible evidence to support them.
The governor, who voted at Polling Unit 003, Okelele, Ikogosi-Ekiti, in Ekiti West Local Government Area, described the election as satisfactory and urged eligible voters yet to cast their ballots to do so peacefully.
The Commissioner of Police in charge of election security, Abayomi Shogunle, said no case of vote-buying was reported to security agencies throughout the exercise.
Election observers commended the peaceful atmosphere that characterised the poll but raised concerns over procedural inconsistencies.
The First Vice-President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Sebastian Anyia, described the process as orderly and peaceful, saying voter turnout was encouraging.
Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Brenda Anugwom, lauded the resilience of female voters, many of whom remained at polling units for several hours with their children to exercise their franchise.
Yiaga Africa, however, expressed concern over discrepancies involving ballot papers, result sheets and INEC’s published list of candidates, warning that such inconsistencies could create challenges during collation and reconciliation of results.
The election observer group urged INEC to provide further clarification on the final list of participating parties and candidates and issue clear guidance to electoral officials handling result documentation.
Ahead of the poll, INEC and security agencies had repeatedly assured residents of their preparedness to deliver a peaceful, credible and transparent election, deploying personnel and restricting vehicular movement to forestall electoral violence and other offences.
The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has rejected plans by the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde to conduct another local government election on December 26, 2026, describing the proposed exercise as illegal, premature and a calculated move to retain political influence at the grassroots beyond the governor’s tenure.
The party declared that it would neither participate in the election nor remain silent over what it termed an attempt to squander public resources on a process allegedly designed to install loyalists in the 33 local government councils and 351 wards across the state.
The controversy followed the decision of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) to shift the date earlier fixed for January 2027 to December 26, 2026, after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The move has continued to generate debate among political observers, many of whom have questioned the urgency of conducting another council poll barely six months before the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent chairmen and councillors elected in the 2024 local government elections.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the APC said it would not stop at boycotting the election but would also collaborate with “patriots and rational minds” to resist what it called an unnecessary expenditure of taxpayers’ money.
The party accused Governor Makinde of lacking commitment to local government autonomy, alleging that the administration had exercised undue control over council resources for more than seven years.
“The whole world knows that Governor Makinde does not believe in local government autonomy and, when it comes to democracy at the grassroots, he cannot be trusted for anything,” the statement said.
The APC alleged that the proposed poll was aimed at positioning individuals loyal to the governor in local councils before his exit from office on May 29, 2027, arguing that such a move would enable him to sustain political influence after leaving the Agodi Government House.
According to the opposition party, expectations among many residents are centred on ongoing efforts by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to strengthen local government autonomy and ensure that councils enjoy direct access to their statutory allocations without interference from state governments.
The APC also linked what it described as poor development outcomes in some rural communities to the operation of the state-local government joint account system. It cited communities such as Ahoro Esiele and Yawota in Oriire Local Government Area, which have reportedly faced security challenges, as examples of areas where local government resources should have translated into visible improvements.
“It is sad that Governor Makinde appears determined to sustain a system that has left many rural communities vulnerable despite huge allocations accruing to local governments monthly,” the party said.
The opposition further dismissed the local government elections conducted in 2020 and 2024 as lacking credibility, alleging that winners emerged through predetermined outcomes rather than a transparent electoral process.
“The fraud called local government polls in 2020 and 2024 should be the last the people of Oyo State would witness. Governor Makinde and his supporters should bury any thought of staging another charade in which results are announced without genuine voting and public offices become tools for the diversion of public funds,” the statement added.
The APC consequently urged officials of OYSIEC to halt preparations for the proposed December election, warning against actions capable of undermining democratic values and public confidence in the electoral process.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Oyo State Government nor OYSIEC had issued an official response to the allegations raised by the opposition party.
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