2027: Makinde Predicts APM Landslide Victory, Receives APC Defectors
Ibadan — Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has expressed confidence that the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) will record a decisive victory in the 2027 general elections, saying God and the people of Oyo State are behind the party.
Makinde stated this on Monday at the Boye Nation/JAF Movement Mega Concert held at the Open Tennis Court of the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan, where he formally received thousands of former members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) into the APM.
The defectors, led by Ajiboye Sangogade, popularly known as Boye Nation, a personal assistant and loyalist of former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, were drawn from several local government areas across Oyo State.
According to a statement issued by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, Makinde urged the APC governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, to concentrate on persuading voters to support him rather than criticising the administration.
The governor also challenged Alli to focus on the APM governorship candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi, ahead of the 2027 election.
Makinde further highlighted the professional qualifications of himself and Adekanmbi, contrasting them with those of the APC candidate.
He said: “I am an engineer and certified with FNSE (Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers). Bimbo is an accountant and he is certified FCCA (Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants). We were recognised in our careers with the highest certification.
“If they want to recognise Barr. Sarafa in his career, he is supposed to be certified with SAN (Senior Advocate of Nigeria). Even Junior Advocate wasn’t given to him.”
The governor also responded to criticism over the use of diesel-powered generators to operate streetlights in parts of the state, despite his professional background as an engineer.
Makinde attributed the situation to the unresolved electricity challenges in the country, arguing that the state would not need to rely on diesel generators if the Federal Government had successfully addressed the nation’s power supply problems.
He recalled a campaign promise attributed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu regarding the resolution of Nigeria’s electricity challenges.
Makinde said: “God has signed off on what we are doing, and that is why it is raining. Today, we are welcoming thousands of APC members into the APM, and this shows that our victory is only a matter of time. We will win massively in all elections in 2027.
“This is why I encourage the APC governorship candidate, Senator Alli, to focus his energy on convincing the people of Oyo to support him despite the hardship brought upon them by his party. He should focus on the APM governorship candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi, instead of attacking our administration.”
On the issue of streetlights powered by diesel generators, the governor said: “He said I am an engineer yet we power streetlights with diesel. I believe he is pained because I said he is an unsuccessful lawyer. But where is the lie?
“I am an engineer and a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers — meaning I have excelled in my chosen career. The candidate we are presenting to you, Adekanmbi, is a graduate of Accounting and a professional who is also a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, the highest qualification in the profession.
“Ask Alli if he has any recognition in his own profession. He is not a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. On powering streetlights with diesel generators, remind them that their leader was the one who said that if he didn’t fix Nigeria’s electricity problem within his first four years, no one should vote for him again. If he had fulfilled that promise, we would not be powering streetlights with diesel.”
The concert, themed “Young, United, Unstoppable,” also served as the official reception for Sangogade and his supporters following their defection from the APC to the APM.
The event featured performances by Fuji artistes, including Alhaji Taye Currency, Alhaji Tiri Leather, Babatunmise, Ajeseun Band and Aare Rasaq Ayanfe, among others.
Dignitaries at the event included the Secretary to the Oyo State Government, Prof. Musibau Babatunde; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Segun Ogunwuyi; serving members of the National Assembly and Oyo State House of Assembly; commissioners; APM leaders and other government functionaries.
Also in attendance were the three APM senatorial candidates — Dhikrullahi Olajide Odidiomo for Oyo South, Shina Peller for Oyo North and Ajadi Oguntoyinbo for Oyo Central — alongside 14 APM House of Representatives candidates, 32 House of Assembly candidates and the 33 APM local government chairmanship candidates.
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