The Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Bimbo Adekanmbi, has pledged to construct at least 100 kilometres of roads in his first year in office if elected governor in 2027.
Adekanmbi, a former Commissioner for Finance in the administration of the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, said his proposed administration would build on the development foundation established by Governor Seyi Makinde while pursuing new economic opportunities for the state.
He made the remarks while outlining his plans for infrastructure, tourism and economic development, amid questions over whether his candidacy represents an attempt to extend Makinde’s administration beyond 2027.
Adekanmbi said Makinde’s administration had opened up major parts of Oyo through projects including the Ibadan-Iseyin, Oyo-Iseyin and Ogbomoso-Iseyin roads, as well as the Olorunda-Akobo road.
He also welcomed the reported N4 billion approval for the Amuloko-Ijebu road, saying the development was particularly significant to residents of his community in Ona-Ara Local Government Area.
According to him, attention should now shift towards roads within communities, particularly rural areas.
“I have gone round the state and I am on my third tour of local government areas in the state and road is one of the major demands of the people,” he said.
He said his proposed Omituntun 3.0 programme would build on existing infrastructure initiatives, with rural roads receiving significant attention.
“We intend to construct 100 kilometres of roads in the first year of our administration and a lot of them will be rural roads,” Adekanmbi said.
The APM candidate added that he had visited all 33 local government areas and had identified roads to be of priority for residents.
Adekanmbi rejects claim he is Makinde’s stooge
Adekanmbi also dismissed claims that he was merely a political vehicle for Makinde’s continuation in government.
He said his previous experience as a commissioner under Ajimobi demonstrated that he could disagree with a governor when he believed a decision was not in the public interest.
“I was an appointee, meaning that I could be sacked immediately I did something that the governor did not like,” he said.
According to him, there were occasions when he opposed decisions that others around the governor were prepared to accept, but Ajimobi respected his position and accepted his arguments.
Adekanmbi said being elected governor would make him directly responsible and accountable for decisions taken by his administration.
“I have a family name, I have a degree, I am a professional. I am an accountant,” he said, adding that professional duty, confidentiality, integrity, technical ability and professionalism guide accountants.
He further said his loyalty would be to Oyo State rather than to any individual.
“If I look at it to see whether the decisions are loyal to Oyo State or Governor Makinde, I will choose loyalty to Oyo State because that is what I am responsible for,” he said.
Adekanmbi and Makinde have previously appeared together in the context of the APM candidate’s emergence.
At the party’s governorship primary in May, Makinde urged him not to inherit his political enemies and encouraged him to chart his own path while improving on policies that benefit Oyo residents.
Candidate outlines tourism development plan
On tourism, Adekanmbi proposed an audit of Oyo State’s tourism assets within his first 100 days in office.
He said the process would involve identifying the potential of each site, determining the infrastructure required to unlock those opportunities and improving access before embarking on international promotion.
Ado-Awaye Lake and the CAP Village associated with filmmaker Kunle Afolayan were among the tourism assets he referenced.
Adekanmbi said sites requiring access roads would receive such infrastructure, while promotional materials would also be developed before international advertising campaigns are launched.
He described the approach as a systematic tourism strategy contained in his manifesto.
On Ikere Gorge Dam, the APM candidate said both the Ajimobi and Makinde administrations had pursued efforts to secure a concession for the facility.
He said the Ogun-Osun River Basin Authority manages the dam and claimed the Federal Government had concessioned it to a private operator.
Adekanmbi said that if the concession failed to produce appreciable progress, a future administration under him would approach the Federal Government to consider transferring the facility to Oyo State.
He argued that developing the dam could generate wider economic benefits for the state.
Adekanmbi has also previously listed revival of Ikere Gorge Dam, improvement of internal roads, tourism development and stronger utilisation of the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport among his campaign priorities.
