The campaign group for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has threatened to take legal action against Bimbo Adekanmbi, the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM). This comes after Adekanmbi made allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement against Alli.
The campaign group called these allegations lies aimed at damaging Alli’s reputation and hurting his support as the 2027 governorship election approaches.
In a statement released on Saturday by Bisi Oladele, the Director of Media and Publicity for the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO), they accused Adekanmbi of twisting historical facts. They claimed he was using past problems in local government to gain political advantage.
The statement said the claims made during a radio interview showed the opposition’s need to discredit Alli instead of offering real plans to develop Oyo State.
SSACO defended Alli’s time as chairman of Ibadan North Local Government. They said he always paid salaries on time and cared for workers’ welfare, which earned him an award from the Nigeria Union of Teachers in Oyo State.
The organisation explained that the financial issues faced by local governments were due to a nationwide problem caused by the Federal Military Government's policy on staff promotions and salary increases in January 1993. They noted that these challenges were not unique to Alli’s time.
The statement added that the crisis continued beyond Alli’s term and was addressed by creating the National Primary Education Commission in 1997 and introducing first-line charges for teachers’ salaries by 1999.
SSACO challenged Adekanmbi to show the report that supposedly supports his claims of corruption. They warned that if he fails to back up his allegations, he could face a defamation suit.
The organisation accused Adekanmbi and his political allies of misleading voters by using past administrative issues. They insisted that these claims would not affect Alli’s political standing.
They also took a jab at Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, claiming it has weakened local government and denied residents the benefits of good grassroots governance.
SSACO stated that if Alli becomes governor in 2027, he will improve the 33 local government areas by boosting their administrative and financial abilities to provide essential services.
They mentioned that some of his main focuses would be fixing feeder and access roads. This would help ease transportation for people and goods, boosting economic activities across the state.
SSACO expressed confidence that voters would turn down both Makinde and Adekanmbi in the 2027 elections. They said Alli’s campaign would aim to bring back effective grassroots governance.
They urged Adekanmbi to focus on issues that matter instead of trying to twist history for his political gain.
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