The campaign organisation of Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, has faulted Governor Seyi Makinde over his claim that the senator never practised law.
Makinde reportedly made the comment on Friday during a reception held to welcome him back from his annual leave.
In a statement on Saturday, Director of Media and Publicity of the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation, Bisi Oladele, said the governor’s assertion was incorrect and demonstrated a misunderstanding of Alli’s professional background.
The organisation said Alli began his legal career during his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in 1987 at A. E. Enumah & Associates in Nnewi, Anambra State.
According to the statement, Alli was retained by the firm after his service because of his performance as a young lawyer but later returned to Ibadan following pressure from his parents, who wanted him closer to home in the Southwest.
“Contrary to Makinde’s ignorant assertion, Senator Sharafadeen Alli is not a portfolio lawyer. He is a thoroughbred legal practitioner,” the statement said.
It added that Alli subsequently practised with R. A. Sarumi & Co., Solicitors, Advocates & Notary Public, in Ibadan until 1991, when he became the first executive chairman of Ibadan North Local Government.
The campaign organisation said Alli established his own law firm, Biodun Alli & Co., in Ibadan in 1994 and has remained its principal partner.
It said the firm has provided services in areas including legal practice, company secretarial work and auctioneering, while Alli handled legal briefs, conveyancing and corporate matters before moving into full-time public service.
“These are public records, verifiable at the Nigerian Bar Association, Ibadan Branch, and at the Corporate Affairs Commission,” the organisation said.
The group also challenged the premise of Makinde’s reported comment, arguing that legal practice extends beyond courtroom advocacy.
“Even if Senator Alli had never seen the four walls of a courtroom, what crime would that have been?” the statement asked.
It explained that lawyers could work in several fields, including advocacy, government, corporate affairs, legislative work, academia, solicitors’ practice, consultancy and arbitration.
According to the organisation, Alli’s legal training has also informed his career in public administration and politics.
It listed his positions as chairman of Ibadan North Local Government, Secretary to the Oyo State Government, Chief of Staff to the governor, chairman of Odu’a Investment Company Limited and senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District.
The campaign organisation said the governor should focus on substantive issues rather than what it described as personal attacks against his political opponents.
“We urge Governor Makinde to elevate his discourse. The Office of the Governor of Oyo State is a sacred place of decorum, not a beer parlour where beer parlour gist is traded,” it said.
It further accused the governor of being motivated by political concerns over Alli’s emergence as a contender for the 2027 governorship election, while alleging that issues such as the state’s finances, debt and administration deserved greater attention.
Makinde’s reported comments and the response from the Alli campaign organisation come amid heightened political activity in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Available biographical records independently found online also identify Alli as a lawyer and principal partner of Biodun Alli & Co., while records published about his career state that he practised with A. E. Enumah & Associates and R. A. Sarumi & Co. before moving further into public service.
