The campaign organisation of Oyo State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has alleged a plot to destroy and deface his campaign billboards and posters across parts of Ibadan ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, the campaign organisation alleged that some members of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) were working with individuals linked to the Park Management System (PMS) to carry out the planned vandalism.
The organisation said it received “credible intelligence” indicating that a meeting was held earlier on Friday in the Gbagi area of Ibadan, where the alleged plan was discussed.
It identified individuals it said were involved in the meeting as one Hollified, also known as “King of Boys”, and one Akin Owo.
According to the campaign organisation, participants at the alleged meeting agreed to mobilise PMS members to target campaign materials belonging to Alli, popularly known as BSA.
It further alleged that Egbeda, Ibadan North-East, Lagelu and Akinyele local government areas had been identified as primary targets because of the concentration of Alli’s billboards and posters in those areas.
The campaign organisation claimed that mobilisation was already underway as of Friday evening, with the alleged attacks expected to take place in the early hours of Saturday.
“Our intelligence revealed that Egbeda, Ibadan North East, Lagelu and Akinyele local government areas of Ibadan, where the APC gubernatorial candidate enjoys high domination of billboards and posters due to massive acceptance and love by the people, have been marked as primary targets,” the statement said.
It called on the Oyo State Government and security agencies to take immediate steps to prevent any possible breakdown of law and order.
The organisation specifically appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, the state directorate of the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to investigate the alleged plan.
It also urged security authorities to protect lives and property, including legally erected campaign materials.
The campaign organisation accused supporters of the APM of attempting to use intimidation and vandalism to disrupt the opposition’s activities, describing such alleged actions as unacceptable in the build-up to the 2027 election.
It also called on APC members and supporters to remain calm and avoid responding to any provocation.
“Oyo State voters deserve issue-based campaigns, and the APC shall resist moves to drag it into deliberate distraction from germane issues before Oyo State voters this time,” the statement added.
The latest allegation comes amid an increasingly active political contest in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Alli, the serving senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District, was recently unveiled as the APC’s governorship candidate and has subsequently strengthened his campaign communication structure with the appointment of experienced journalists and media professionals.
The APC candidate has also been engaged in a series of political exchanges with the Makinde administration.
In September, his campaign organisation criticised the proposed use of a €55 million French concessional loan for healthcare development, urging the state government to ensure that the facility was used strictly for its stated purpose.
Separately, political disagreements over campaign billboards have previously surfaced in Ibadan, including a July controversy surrounding the removal of a billboard bearing the images of President Bola Tinubu and Alli at Isale Alfa.
The campaign organisation said its supporters would continue to pursue an issue-based campaign and urged political actors to avoid actions capable of undermining peace ahead of the 2027 election.
