Adekanmbi tells Alli to brace for election defeat

The governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State, Bimbo Adekanmbi, has challenged his All Progressives Congress (APC) rival, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, to begin preparing his concession speech ahead of the February 6, 2027 governorship election.

Adekanmbi, who expressed confidence in his chances of winning the election, said Alli would have no option but to congratulate him after the poll.

He spoke against the backdrop of a statement by the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO), which described the turnout at the APM governorship campaign flag-off in Oyo town on Saturday as poor.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the Co-Director, Media and Publicity of the Oyo State APM Campaign Council (OYSACC), Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Adekanmbi said he looked forward to receiving a congratulatory message from Alli after the election.

“I look forward to Senator Alli’s congratulatory message because he cannot escape defeat,” he said.

The APM Campaign Council dismissed SSACO’s assessment of the rally, describing it as an attempt at political self-deception.

It said the flag-off, held at Durbar Stadium, Oyo, attracted tens of thousands of supporters, party faithful, community leaders, youths, women and residents from different parts of the state.

The council wondered how an event that attracted such a crowd could be described as poorly attended, insisting that the rally reflected growing acceptance of the APM and its governorship candidate.

“The truth is simple: SSACO saw the crowd, Oyo people saw the crowd, the media saw the crowd, and the entire state saw the crowd. The only people claiming otherwise are those whose political calculations were shattered by the massive show of support for Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi,” it said.

OYSACC described the criticism by Alli’s campaign organisation as a reaction to what it called Adekanmbi’s growing popularity and the increasing acceptance of the APM across the state.

It also questioned why SSACO devoted considerable attention to a rally it claimed was insignificant, arguing that the reaction suggested concern over the political attention generated by the event.

The council maintained that the turnout reflected public support for the policies and programmes of Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, as well as confidence in Adekanmbi’s ability to sustain its developmental agenda.

It added that the APM campaign would focus on continuity, development and inclusive governance rather than engage in what it described as unnecessary political exchanges.

OYSACC also accused Alli’s campaign organisation of concentrating on crowd figures instead of discussing issues affecting residents, including employment, infrastructure, security, agriculture and economic growth.

“A serious campaign organisation would be discussing jobs, infrastructure, security, agriculture and economic growth. Unfortunately, SSACO appears more interested in counting chairs, editing photographs in its imagination and inventing narratives that collapse under the weight of evidence,” the statement said.

The council also described the criticism as an attempt to undermine the significance of the campaign launch, insisting that the rally marked the beginning of a movement that would gather momentum across the state.

It reiterated its commitment to an issue-based campaign and urged political actors to concentrate on presenting their policies and programmes to voters ahead of the 2027 elections.

“The road to 2027 has begun. While others are struggling to explain away an obvious success, we remain focused on engaging the people, presenting our vision and building the broad coalition that will deliver victory,” OYSACC said.