The campaign group of Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, has rejected allegations made against him by the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Bimbo Adekanmbi, describing them as falsehoods designed to damage the senator’s growing political profile.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Director of Media and Publicity of the Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO), Bisi Oladele, accused Adekanmbi of distorting historical events and making unsubstantiated claims against Alli for political advantage.
Oladele said Adekanmbi’s comments during a radio interview were part of the opposition’s efforts to discredit the APC candidate ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
According to the campaign organisation, rather than presenting concrete proposals for addressing Oyo State’s challenges, Adekanmbi had resorted to allegations and attempts to rewrite history.
It specifically defended Alli’s record as chairman of Ibadan North Local Government, saying he prioritised prompt payment of workers’ salaries and staff welfare during his tenure.
The organisation noted that Alli’s commitment to workers’ welfare earned him recognition from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Oyo State.
Addressing allegations relating to financial difficulties faced by local governments during Alli’s tenure, SSACO said the challenges were not peculiar to Ibadan North or the senator but arose from a nationwide funding crisis.
It traced the problem to a Federal Military Government policy introduced in January 1993 concerning staff promotions and salary increases, which, according to the campaign, placed additional financial obligations on local governments without corresponding allocations.
SSACO said the resulting difficulties persisted beyond Alli’s tenure and were eventually addressed through institutional interventions.
It cited the establishment of the National Primary Education Commission in 1997 and the introduction of first-line charges for teachers’ salaries by 1999 as measures that helped resolve the problem.
The campaign organisation also demanded evidence to support Adekanmbi’s corruption allegations against Alli, challenging him to produce the report on which the claims were based.
It warned that failure to substantiate the allegations could lead to legal action for defamation.
“SSACO challenges Adekanmbi to produce the report supporting his allegation of corruption against Alli or face defamation suit,” the statement said.
The organisation accused Adekanmbi and his political associates of exploiting historical challenges in local government administration to mislead voters, insisting that the allegations would not diminish Alli’s political standing.
It also turned its criticism towards the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde, alleging that the government had weakened local government administration in Oyo State and denied residents at the grassroots the full benefits of effective governance.
SSACO said Alli would pursue a different approach if elected governor in 2027, promising to revitalise the state’s 33 local government areas and strengthen their administrative and financial capacity.
According to the organisation, the objective would be to ensure that local councils become more responsive to the needs of residents and better equipped to drive development within their communities.
Among the proposed priorities, it highlighted the reconstruction of feeder and access roads across the state.
It said improved rural and local roads would facilitate the movement of people and goods while supporting economic activities and strengthening connections between communities and markets.
The campaign organisation expressed confidence that Oyo voters would reject both Adekanmbi and Makinde at the 2027 polls, arguing that the electorate would favour its proposed approach to grassroots governance.
It urged Adekanmbi to engage in issue-based political debate and present concrete alternatives rather than relying on what it described as partisan attempts to distort historical events.
SSACO maintained that Alli’s campaign would remain focused on strengthening local government administration and restoring effective governance at the grassroots.
